Transcript Highlights:

• But you mentioned other government programs that are available.
• And there are similar programs like that that are in existence as well.
• I'm seeing... ...program, yes. Okay, thank you very much.
• If California's current programs are found to be efficient, we believe that they can be enhanced more
• For every dollar invested in this program, we get $2 back in economic activity.

Committee: House Revenue and Taxation

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Schools that elect to participate in the program may include the fitness program designation in the school's
• include the fitness program designation in the school's report card.
• This is a program that's going to do that. It's going to be voluntary.
• I commend... ...to be physically active and quality PE programs.
• Madam Chair, he's the top supporter of the ESA program.

Committee: Senate Senate Education Committee of Reference

Summary: The committee heard and advanced several education-related bills. HB 2395 would create a voluntary Arizona School Fitness Program in ADE to recognize schools that participate in nationally recognized fitness testing, allow schools to note the designation on report cards, and direct ADE to issue guidelines and best practices. Supporters argued it would encourage student activity and improve health and achievement without penalties; it passed with a due pass recommendation on a 6-0 vote, with two members not voting. HB 2409, the Getting Arizona Ready for AI Act, would create an Arizona Artificial Intelligence Program in ADE to offer voluntary summer AI courses around the state, including digital hygiene/civic integrity and small-business/entrepreneurship components, with optional facility use and possible academic credit. The sponsor said the bill was meant to prepare students for AI-driven job disruption while keeping the program voluntary and low-cost. It passed 4-2 with one not voting. HB 2203 would require ADE to review school and agency reporting requirements, identify duplicative or obsolete reports, and recommend consolidation or repeal; a technical amendment was adopted and the bill passed unanimously by those voting. HB 2008 would bar school libraries from using public funds to pay professional associations for libraries and librarians; opponents called it unnecessary and constitutionally problematic, while supporters framed it as limiting public spending. It passed 4-2 with one not voting. The committee also heard HB 2075, which would require school districts to submit superintendent and CFO contracts to ADE, post them online, and maintain a searchable database and annual compensation report. Supporters said it would improve transparency and prevent excessive or hidden compensation, while opponents argued it unfairly targeted district schools and should, if anything, apply to all publicly funded schools. After extended debate over transparency and comparisons to charter schools and ESAs, the bill received a due pass recommendation on a 4-2 vote with one not voting.

Transcript Highlights:

• He said he became a booster and also has a scholarship program within his company.
• students in the area and around the state, especially the nursing program, the water program, the entrepreneur
• program, and the hospitality program.
• But also, I wanted to speak specifically about the water program.
• And also your commitment to sports programs as well.

Committee: Senate Appropriations Committee on Higher Education

Summary: The Senate Appropriations Committee on Higher Education opened by noting it would not present its budget that day, explaining the budget rollout would be delayed until the following week to align with House partners and Senate notice requirements. After a roll call confirmed a quorum, the chair explained that because of the large number of gubernatorial appointments, the committee would hear only a subset individually and consider reappointments in a block unless members requested otherwise. The committee then heard testimony from appointees and reappointees to several university boards. Florida A&M University nominees Roderick Harris, Victor Young, and Rafael Vasquez emphasized service to their alma mater, support for leadership, student success, entrepreneurship, scholarships, and maintaining FAMU’s status as a leading HBCU. Florida Atlantic University appointees Linda Stock and Thomas Mersh highlighted FAU’s growth, R1 research designation, quantum computing, servant leadership, entrepreneurship, and expanded research opportunities. University of Central Florida reappointee Alex Martins focused on UCF’s preeminence, workforce needs, nursing and engineering, and keeping graduates in Florida. Florida Gulf Coast University nominees James Gris-Mall, Douglas Van Orte, Robert Rommel, Sarah Partial Perry, and reappointee Joseph Fogg discussed workforce development, affordability, student success, water and environmental programs, business and entrepreneurship, nursing outcomes, and FGCU’s regional role. University of South Florida reappointee Rogan Donnelly cited USF’s AAU status, research growth, and focus on student success, health care, cybersecurity, and AI. Committee members generally praised each nominee’s background and the universities’ achievements. At the end of the hearing, the committee approved all nominees in a single block vote for confirmation and then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• Only a few institutions in the state offer competency-based education, or CBE, programs.
• aware of the waiver program, they may not be in a position where they are able to use it.
• Social programs are designed to support individuals in making positive contributions to society.
• The program will help 11th and 12th grade students complete a certificate program while in high school
• Sustained investment in career and technical education, the ARPET program, and the P-TECH program is

Committee: Senate Education

Keywords: 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The school's outstanding academic and athletic programs combined with a faculty dedicated to teaching
• Uh, members, the Bob Bullock scholarship program was named after, of course, distinguished Lieutenant
• rural pathway excellence Partnership programs and a high school advising program including funding of
• those programs under the Foundation School program and the new institutional facility allotment and
• Savings Account Program, refer to the Committee on Public Education.

Transcript Highlights:

• SENATORS WE HAVE A PROGRAM REVIEW THIS AFTERNOON ON THE DIVISION OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT, FEMA REIMBURSEMENT
• TODAY MORE THAN 1000 DISPLACED HOUSEHOLDS HAVE BEEN SHELTERED THROUGH THIS PROGRAM FROM HOPE FLORIDA.
• A FEW PROGRAMS ARE TIED TO THAT SERVICE FOR OUR COUNTIES.
• ALL THIS MONEY IS DIRECTLY TIED TO FEDERAL GRANTS AND THE PROGRAMS WE AT FDEM MANAGE, THE 28 FEDERAL
• GRANTS WE MANAGE ALL OF THAT 15.3 ALL OF THAT IS TIED TO THAT GRANT MANAGEMENT PROGRAM.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> for the program. for the program.
• </c> positions to stand up this new program. positions to stand up this new program.
• </c> to establish administer the program. to establish administer the program.
• </c> program again? program again?
• </c> how our programs do post. how our programs do post.

Committee: Senate Economic Development and Tourism

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The committee first took up Senate Bill 2693 relating to capital improvement projects for aerospace infrastructure. Members had no questions, and the recommendation to pass the bill with a defective date of July 1, 2050 was adopted unanimously. The committee then deferred decision making on Senate Bill 26980 relating to transportation and Senate Bill 2374 relating to the blue economy until Thursday, February 19, 2026, in Room 229, pending additional information. In the joint hearing on Senate Bill 2816 relating to state enterprise zones, agencies and organizations including DBEDT, HTDC, Taxation, the University of Hawaii Cancer Center, Oceanit, the Hawaii Medical Association, and the Queen’s Health System testified in support or submitted written comments. One public testifier urged expanding enterprise zones around the Kakaako/Cancer Center area and combining them with the foreign trade zone to reduce taxes and attract business. A senator questioned whether the enterprise zone program had ever been comprehensively evaluated, noting DBEDT said it had not done a full study in recent years and cited annual report figures including about $221 million in company revenues and $460,000 in foregone state revenue in 2022. The discussion focused on whether the bill would subsidize existing activity or support new economic development, and on the broader policy question of whether enterprise zones should be used to revitalize depressed areas or to target strategic sectors like health care technology. The committee then heard Senate Bill 2900 relating to sports officials. The Department of Education supported the measure, saying the Attorney General is best positioned to represent employees in temporary restraining order matters and that elevating intentional bodily injury of a sports official to a class B felony would improve safety. The Office of the Public Defender opposed the bill, arguing it would escalate conduct already covered by existing assault statutes and go beyond other protected classes. The Department of the Attorney General recommended narrowing the bill by inserting “substantial” before bodily injury in the criminal section and deleting a section that would make the AG’s office act like plaintiff’s counsel in civil matters, suggesting instead that departments adopt policies to help employees obtain TROs without creating an open-ended civil representation role. Several sports and school-related organizations testified in support, and members discussed whether the bill should be narrowed or coordinated with other measures before further action.

Transcript Highlights:

• It's also a substance abuse program.
• /c><00:31:29.080><c> that</c> merit based program do you feel that merit based program do you feel that
• </c> participate in first a work fur program participate in first a work fur program where<00:55:36.200
• </c><00:56:05.680><c> they</c> in terms of the the fer program they in terms of the the fer program they
• in mind it wasn't built with programs in mind it wasn't built with program<01:07:37.359><c> space</c

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We have concerns related to the Opt-in CEC AB 205 certification program. Thank you.
• We have concerns related to the Opt-in CEC AB205 Certification Program. Thank you.
• , it was a 10-year pilot program.
• I work as the America's program coordinator with the organization Biofuel Watch.
• Hopefully this is going to work in partnership to support all those programs.

Summary: The committee heard several energy and water affordability bills, with extensive testimony on SB 254 by Senator Becker, SB 541 by Senator Becker, SB 453 by Senator Stern, SB 292 by Senator Caballero, and SB 473 by Senator Padilla. SB 254 was presented as a broad utility affordability package addressing short-term climate credits, a Power Fund, tighter scrutiny of rate increases and utility profits, wildfire spending, securitization of future utility costs, and streamlining. Supporters, including TURN and several environmental and public power groups, said it could lower bills and reduce long-term costs; opponents from investor-owned utilities, labor, business, and local government raised concerns about market impacts, insufficient analysis, and the breadth of the bill. The committee approved SB 254 on a 6-3 vote and placed it on call. SB 541 focused on load flexibility and using existing grid capacity more efficiently. Senator Becker described it as a transparency and planning measure to identify cost-effective load shifting and reduce peak demand, while supporters said it could improve resiliency and save money. Several CCAs and utilities opposed the bill in print or unless amended, arguing that some language implied a mandate and that the concept needed more cost-effectiveness analysis; the author said amendments would remove language dividing the state goal among retail suppliers and clarify that the bill is not a procurement mandate. The committee passed SB 541 as amended to Appropriations on a 9-1 vote and left it on call. SB 453 by Senator Stern would return unspent ratepayer-funded microgrid program dollars and was described as a way to keep the lights on and redirect unused funds. It drew support from local government and environmental groups, with PG&E expressing concern about how the bill would affect its ability to spend awarded funds. The committee passed SB 453 as amended to Appropriations on a 12-0 vote. SB 292 by Senator Caballero would require more granular outage and reliability reporting, including census-tract-level data, to better inform resilience planning after PSPS events; utilities opposed unless amended, citing duplicative reporting and regulatory overlap, but the bill passed 12-0 to Appropriations. SB 473 by Senator Padilla would require or expand water utility decoupling to promote conservation and affordability. Supporters, including water utilities, labor, business, and local government groups, argued decoupling stabilizes revenue, supports conservation, and can keep rates lower for low-use customers. The Public Advocates Office opposed, saying prior pilot data showed no conservation benefit and about $1 billion in added costs, and that the CPUC had already rejected similar requests. Committee members questioned the conservation and capital-investment effects of the different rate structures; the author and supporters argued decoupling helps utilities fund infrastructure while allowing lower fixed charges for low-use customers. The transcript ends during that discussion, before a final vote on SB 473 is shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• There are these new discount programs that are called state-sponsored discount programs, and they would
• of any kind of discount program.
• ,</c> know, you see a lot of these programs, know, you see a lot of these programs, you<00:10:03.360>
• </c> fortunate to have this program continue. fortunate to have this program continue.
• </c> technology act program. technology act program.

Committee: Senate Health and Human Services

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> issues with the program issues with the program um<00:57:35.359><c> I</c><00:57:35.960><c> I</c>
• She said the bill supports HTC's three core programs: the MAP, SPR, and accelerator programs.
• </c> local business Assistance programs local business Assistance programs especially<01:05:41.400><c
• </c><01:36:14.679><c> that</c> don't really have any programs that don't really have any programs that
• </c> just us but there was a pilot program just us but there was a pilot program across<05:08:17.680>

Committee: House Finance

Keywords: 910, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• ,</c><00:02:46.879><c> um,</c> this really important program, um, this really important program, um,
• So um I think there's these programs.
• So um, you know, it's while this program is um, you know, it's while this program is helping more middle-income
• So um, you know, it's while this program is um, you know, it's while this program is helping more middle-income
• So um, you know, it's while this program is um, you know, it's while this program is helping more middle-income

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• In fact, UC Davis is home to the only food science and technology program in the entire UC system.
• It's also the largest undergraduate food science and technology program in the country.
• UC Davis is also ranked number one in the nation ...program in the country.
• Our campus is also home to the number one wine fermentation program in the world.
• First program, AgTech, which is very complementary, is also a priority.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This program has helped facilitate cultural enhancement programs that teach the children of our community
• and conservation education programs.
• Fund, which is a federal grant program.
• It's a great program.
• We still have the Kids in Parks program.

Committee: House House Rural Development, Land Grants And Cultural Affairs

Transcript Highlights:

• It seems the POCI caucus are pretty firm on maintaining these programs.
• It seems the POCI caucus are pretty firm on maintaining these programs.
• , life-saving programs like Medicaid, uh, to give tax cuts to billionaires and millionaires.
• programs to cut programs, life-saving programs like<00:26:19.200><c> Medicaid,</c><00:26:20.159><c>
• But if we cut MinnesotaCare, right now the program has cost $3.4 million.

Keywords: 919, house, all

Summary: Lawmakers and advocates from the POCI Caucus held a news conference focused on protecting recent DFL-enacted policies in a newly divided Legislature. They highlighted accomplishments from the last biennium, including earned sick and safe time, ethnic studies, unemployment insurance changes, environmental protections, and MinnesotaCare coverage for undocumented immigrants, and argued these measures should not be rolled back in budget negotiations. Speakers said Republicans were pushing cuts or carveouts that would disproportionately harm Black, brown, immigrant, women, and low-income communities, and they urged the House and Governor Walz to reject those changes. A major theme was opposition to proposed carveouts to earned sick and safe time. Amanda Otero of TakeAction Minnesota said the proposed changes would remove benefits from more than 100,000 workers based on employer size, and lawmakers said sick leave should be universal. Another major topic was MinnesotaCare for undocumented immigrants. Representative María Isa Pérez Vega, Council Member Jason Chavez, and others argued the program is affordable, reduces uncompensated emergency care, and improves public health by expanding preventive care. Chavez and Emilia Gonzalez Avalos shared personal stories about family members who benefited from health coverage and said cutting access would worsen disparities and hurt families and communities. The event also included remarks on ethnic studies and historical memory. Representative Samantha Sencer-Mura connected the Ethnic Studies for All Act to her family’s experience with Japanese American incarceration during World War II, and Sally Sudo described her family’s removal and imprisonment under Executive Order 9066. Speakers framed these stories as warnings against scapegoating and exclusion. In the question-and-answer portion, lawmakers said they were still in negotiations but emphasized that certain protections were non-negotiable and that any compromises should be distributed equitably rather than targeting specific groups.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> investigations and the uh program investigations and the uh program integrity<00:08:34.560><c> for
• But as far as the pilot program, I'm just not envisioning what a pilot program would be.
• </c> visioning what a pilot program would be. visioning what a pilot program would be.
• </c><00:59:11.359><c> Yes,</c> program. I highip that we call it. Yes, program.
• </c><00:59:13.359><c> Um</c> that program is still in place. Um that program is still in place.

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The Medicaid Oversight and Advisory Board reconvened and heard a presentation from the Attorney General’s Office Medicaid Fraud and Abuse Control unit. AG staff described the unit’s structure and work: it investigates and prosecutes Medicaid provider fraud, and also handles abuse, neglect, and exploitation cases involving vulnerable adults in facility settings when asked to assist. They said the office has prosecutors, detectives, auditors, and support staff, works with federal partners, Commonwealth’s attorneys, CHFS, DMS, OIG, and MCOs, and uses a hotline and referral line for complaints. They also explained the MCO referral process, including monthly meetings, stand-down lists, and review of referrals for a “credible allegation of fraud” before the AG office decides whether to open a criminal or civil investigation. The presentation focused heavily on current fraud trends. Staff said behavioral health is a major concern, along with participant-directed waiver services, medically assisted treatment, cash billing for services, controlled-substance billing, and vision and dental fraud. They gave examples such as duplicate time sheets for family caregivers, questionable Suboxone counseling and urine drug screening practices, and a prior optometry case involving false claims for children’s glasses. They also discussed CMS’s estimate that about 5% of Medicaid payments are improper, noted that most improper payments are at the fee-for-service level, and said there is no reliable overall fraud-rate estimate. They highlighted a sharp shift in behavioral health billing after the cabinet’s November 1, 2024 policy changes, saying individual psychotherapy spending dropped while group billing increased, suggesting providers may have moved billing to different codes. Members asked about the scale and timing of cases, how MCO referrals are screened, and whether the data reflected more people being served or just higher spending. The AG office said investigations can take years, with some federal cases still awaiting sentencing from 2018 and 2019 matters, and that they currently had nine individuals awaiting sentencing in federal court. They also reported 58 hotline reports during the referenced period, six cases opened from MCO referrals, and four additional MCO referrals not accepted for active cases. Several members raised concerns about home-based services and the risk of abuse or fraud when family members are reimbursed, and asked whether the process could be streamlined; the AG office said it had no immediate recommendations but would be willing to return with suggestions after further review.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:32:08.720><c> 46</c> of potential state program fraud. 46 of potential state program fraud. 46
• Programs, House File 3946, the Domestic Programs, House File 3946, the Domestic Violence<00:47:35.359
• Fewer advocates, longer waits, whole programs absorbed or eliminated.
• Fewer advocates, longer waits, whole programs absorbed or eliminated.
• </c> sustainable funding for these programs sustainable funding for these programs because<01:02:29.280

Bills: HF4446 , HF4066 , HF1082

Committee: House Public Safety Finance and Policy

Keywords: public safety officer, survivor benefits, line of duty death, occupational cancer, firefighter, police officer, paramedic, EMT, correctional officer, first responder, workers' compensation, death benefits, occupational exposure, carcinogen, cancer presumption, mesothelioma, leukemia, lung cancer, post-traumatic stress disorder, PTSD

Transcript Highlights:

• Rental Assistance Program to allow the agency to distribute funds by formula to program administrators
• Rental Assistance Program to allow the agency to distribute funds by formula to program administrators
• </c> development program development program Awards<00:46:43.640><c> then</c><00:46:43.800><c> in</c>
• </c> money has to go back into the program money has to go back into the program and<00:46:59.960><c>
• </c> are um available for that grant program are um available for that grant program also<00:48:17.960

Committee: House Housing Finance and Policy

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• afternoon regarding the cuts to FEMA's Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities Act grant program
• and Congress to restore funding to FEMA's Building Resilient Communities and Infrastructure grant program
• The cancellation of all approved BRIC Program Hazard Mitigation Program applications from fiscal year
• When the memo came out at the beginning of April announcing the BRIC program cancellation.
• I am the Mitigation Director of the California Residential Mitigation Program, which was established

Committee: House Emergency Management

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• With me today is Pamela Flick, the California Program Director for the Defenders of Wildlife.
• I'm the California Program Director for Defenders of Wildlife.
• . in the Governor's budget has been our arts and culture programs.
• This program is growing.
• Texas, for example, has 50 cultural districts and allocates $12 million to their program.

Committee: House Revenue and Taxation

Keywords: 988, house, all