Transcript Highlights:

• </c> 12.25% of pay um between the employee 12.25% of pay um between the employee and<01:37:02.760><c>
• </c> retiree or the future employee retiree or the future employee similar<01:38:24.800><c> um</c><01
• And I think the alternative, of course, would be reducing the employee contribution.
• So, for example, in our general employees plan, our trustees have worked through that.
• So, for example, in our general employees plan, our trustees have worked through that.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:10:38.760><c> can</c> loss of a single employee can loss of a single employee can significantly
• Forest Service employees recently were supposed to be reinstated.
• Forest Service employees recently were supposed to be reinstated.
• </c><00:38:22.920><c> that</c><00:38:23.119><c> monitor</c> federal employees that monitor federal employees
• </c><00:48:31.640><c> last</c> was going to be cutting employees last was going to be cutting employees

Committee: Senate Environment, Climate, and Legacy

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> around hiring and firing of employees around hiring and firing of employees and<00:45:43.800><c>
• </c> for Just Cause classified employees for Just Cause classified employees covered<00:45:55.760><c>
• </c> are uh typically reserved for employees are uh typically reserved for employees whose<00:46:12.960
• </c><00:46:24.480><c> of</c> bill stripping the oig employees of bill stripping the oig employees of
• </c> simply embedding legislative employees simply embedding legislative employees and<00:47:14.280><

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Secondly, it removes a prohibition on cabinet employees serving as CASA volunteers or being employees
• Many CHFS cabinet employees never touch a dependency neglect or abuse case, and we want those employees
• </c> a prohibition on cabinet employees a prohibition on cabinet employees serving<00:10:40.240><c> as
• Instead, it limits the bar to employees.
• ><c> never</c><00:10:50.800><c> touch</c> Many CHFS cabinet employees never touch Many CHFS cabinet employees

Keywords: 958, all

Transcript Highlights:

• ><c> employee</c><00:17:55.840><c> cannot</c><00:17:56.240><c> pay</c> employee and the employee cannot
• </c> what they do for other employees. Yes. what they do for other employees. Yes.
• employees.
• </c> unhappy employees into state service. unhappy employees into state service.
• It's better for the employee.

Keywords: MS Senate Floor - 9 February, 2026; 2:00 PM, 925, all

Transcript Highlights:

• That was a state investment and the investment by employees who are covered by Minnesota's pension plans
• All those in favor employee groups employee groups that<00:04:06.320><c> are</c><00:04:06.400><c> covered
• </c> 20-month reduction in the employee 20-month reduction in the employee contributions.<00:08:49.920
• employees employees that<00:08:57.720><c> are</c><00:08:57.800><c> paid</c><00:08:58.160><c> out</c>
• We're, you know, state employees plan.

Committee: House Ways and Means

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• So when you employ the employees, can you walk me through how you train your employees?
• Can you walk me through how you train the employees to deal with restraints? So...
• As far as I'm aware, I say lady, this person followed that procedure, this employee, you know, who's
• So that was part, their state employees at the HCCs, of course.
• So if we had employees who were full-time employees who stayed at the job longer and—I shouldn't say

Summary: The Joint State Agencies committee met to approve the October 8, 2025 minutes and then held an extended hearing on the death of Zachary Moore at the Southeast Arkansas Human Development Center. DHS officials Lori McDonald, Jennifer Brise, and Melissa Weatherton described the HDC system, staffing and resident needs, and said Moore died after being held in a prone restraint for about 13 minutes, followed by a delayed chemical restraint and delayed CPR. They said the family settled a wrongful death claim for $725,000, 13 staff were terminated, the facility leadership was changed, and at least five staff had been criminally charged, with the death certificate later described as homicide and the cause of death as physiologic stress associated with struggle and prone restraint. Members pressed DHS on why the family was not kept informed, whether there was a written restraint protocol, how staff are trained, and why the agency did not have more complete information ready for the hearing. DHS said staff receive CPI restraint training, annual restraint training is mandatory, and a consultant is reviewing policies, retraining staff, and conducting a root cause analysis under a directed plan of correction from the Office of Long-Term Care. Legislators also raised broader concerns about low pay, staffing shortages, use of float and contract staff, and a waiting list of about 2,000 people for home- and community-based care. DHS said it is working on a retention and recruitment plan and a rate report for certain PASS services, but that the PASS rate study does not cover CNA pay. Several members said the incident reflected both a failure of restraint practice and a broader staffing and oversight problem. DHS acknowledged that prone restraint should not have been used, that the chemical restraint was given at the wrong time, and that multiple breakdowns occurred in supervision, communication, and equipment use. The committee also discussed whether there should be more regular independent audits of HDC policies, and DHS said it does not currently have a separate annual policy audit beyond existing oversight. At the end of the meeting, the committee asked DHS to keep it updated on recruitment, consultant reports, and to contact Moore’s mother about the communication she had been promised. The meeting adjourned without any additional formal action beyond approving the minutes.

Transcript Highlights:

• The director said every state agency likely got feedback from employees through the HR-sponsored employee
• That’s the authority conferred upon employees and enforcement.
• But our goal and our employees' goal is to serve our public.
• Our employees love having people have a great time. They like to see people having fun.
• things like every employee would, from whether it's private sector or public sector.

Summary: The Conservation Committee approved the February 5 and February 17 minutes, then heard House Bill 678, which would allow wolf trappers to use remote cameras on traps and rely on a video-based check in place of the current 72-hour in-person trap-check requirement when the camera is functioning. The sponsor and supporters, including the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, Idaho Wildlife Federation, and Idaho Farm Bureau, said the bill would make trapping more humane and efficient and help with wolf management. The Idaho Conservation League opposed the bill, warning it could leave incidentally captured protected wildlife in traps longer than current law allows and could create enforcement problems. The committee voted to send HB 678 to the floor with a do pass recommendation. The committee then received the annual update from the Idaho Department of Lands. Director Dustin Miller reported on endowment land management, timber harvest and revenue, fire suppression, recruitment challenges in the fire program, and the department’s shared stewardship and Good Neighbor Authority work with federal partners. Members asked about firefighter pay, mineral permitting, federal timber capacity, road access, and whether the GNA program can sustain staffing through program income; the director said the program is self-sustaining and aimed to expand federal-land restoration and timber output. Next, the committee considered Parks and Recreation pending rules for Docket 26-1-20-2501. Director Susan Buxton explained proposed fee increases for park entry, annual passes, commercial entry, group camps, boating access, and moorage, but asked the committee to reject the proposed changes to Section 075 and Section 250, with the basic campsite fee section to be revisited next year. The committee approved the docket with those exceptions. Buxton then gave the department’s annual update, highlighting ARPA-funded park improvements, new campsites and docks, trail and recreation partnerships, staffing and retention issues, and major projects at parks including Farragut, Ponderosa, Priest Lake, Eagle Island, and others. The meeting ended after a question about the Eagle Island zip line, which Buxton said would have to be removed because the concessionaire could not maintain it safely.

Transcript Highlights:

• It has temporary employee restoration of 110,090, but on the screen it says... ...temporary employee
• Employee restoration, I'm seeing $1,109,800.
• Our employees work in all corners of the state, from the urban to the very, very remote.
• So those changes for benefit costs, statewide cost allocation, and CEC for their employees.
• This would be devastating to our employees, and my office will lose significant staff.

Keywords: 989, all

Summary: The committee heard budget presentations and questions for the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, the Office of Species Conservation, and the Office of the Attorney General. Fish and Game’s budget was described as largely dedicated and federal funding with no general fund support, with discussion of ongoing and one-time enhancements for fisheries inflation, habitat projects, Good Neighbor Authority work, depredation claims, chronic wasting disease testing, and communications. Director Jim Fredericks also reviewed the new nonresident tag draw system, access challenges on private lands, and the department’s role in habitat work and species management. Members raised concerns about depredation claim shortfalls, survey and advisory committee processes, predator management, and the overlap between Fish and Game and the Office of Species Conservation on habitat and endangered species work. The Office of Species Conservation presentation focused on its role coordinating state actions for threatened, endangered, and candidate species, mostly through federal and miscellaneous revenue funds. Administrator Mike Edmondson explained that the office often serves as the policy and administrative lead while Fish and Game carries out much of the field work, and he described metrics for sage grouse, salmon and steelhead, and grizzly bear-related efforts. He also said the office has been working with the Department of Energy and Mineral Resources on a possible merger, with some staff reductions under consideration, and answered questions about grizzly bear delisting, wolf litigation, and tribal consultation. Attorney General Raul Labrador then argued that his office has produced significant results without asking for new money, but said the committee’s proposed reductions would force furloughs or position cuts and asked for $980,000 to be restored. He highlighted the ICAC unit’s elimination of a cyber-tip backlog, increased arrests, consumer protection recoveries, and expanded appellate and civil litigation work defending state laws. Members asked about the source of recovered funds, the office’s flexibility to absorb cuts, and whether the state could work on a framework to transfer incarcerated undocumented offenders to federal custody for deportation. The committee ended by noting upcoming budget-setting work and adjourned until the next morning.

Transcript Highlights:

• We have around 50 employees, 98% of them in our office in Miami.
• But in the same breath, we provide that value for many employees.
• We average about 350 employees.
• We've got around 80 employees across 21 states.
• Then we do some employee led workshops. An employee has a certain specialty.

Transcript Highlights:

• and how to manage employees.
• and how to manage employees.
• </c> overall framework that permits employees overall framework that permits employees to<00:05:09.199
• to um uh employees and how to<00:05:22.400><c> manage</c><00:05:22.720><c> employees</c><00:05:23.400
• but really when it to manage employees but really when it comes<00:05:24.319><c> to</c><00:05:24.600

Committee: Senate Government Operations

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The committee met for joint decision-making on several measures related to elections, telework, procurement, hiring, public records, and public meetings. On Senate Bill 444, testimony was largely opposed or in comment, and the chairs said the bill raised real issues that needed more time; they deferred it for the year. Senate Bill 1091 on telework and space allocation drew support and discussion about DAGS’ role versus the Department of Human Resources; the committee agreed to amend it in a Senate Draft 1 to remove reference to OE, add a DAGS management analyst position, change “positions” to “allocations,” limit the assessment to executive branch departments in DAGS-managed or DAGS-leased facilities, and add a defective date, then passed it with amendments. Senate Bill 1057 on apprenticeship-related bid incentives received mixed testimony, including support from labor and opposition from some contractor groups, and was passed as a Senate Draft 1 with technical amendments and a defective date. Senate Bill 1065 on skills-based hiring, which would bar bachelor’s degree requirements for most state jobs with exemptions, had support from the Comptroller and outside groups and was passed with technical amendments and a defective date. The committee also took up several procurement and accountability measures. Senate Bill 92 on emergency medical response/defibrillators was deferred indefinitely because a pilot project is already underway in the Capitol building and the committee wants to use that information before expanding. Senate Bill 1175 on a past-performance procurement database was amended to add general fund appropriations and committee-report language about funding needs, then passed. Senate Bill 1587 on retainage was heavily amended to define total project budget, revise retainage language, leave key percentage and day limits blank for further review, limit application to contracts executed after January 1, 2026, and add a defective date; it passed as amended. Senate Bill 1543 on government accountability was amended to incorporate procurement officer changes and add language ensuring inherent government functions are not delegated to contractors, then passed. Senate Bill 1255 on government records was amended to clarify that records used in performing a government function are public records subject to UIPA, add contractor recordkeeping/access requirements, protect certain confidential contract information, and add a defective date; it passed. Additional measures were either deferred or advanced with amendments. Senate Bill 1513 on appropriations was deferred to a time certain on February 11. Senate Bill 1616 on care centers was converted into a feasibility study and passed with a defective date. Senate Bill 74 on state construction projects was deferred indefinitely due to concerns it could slow projects and duplicate another measure. Senate Bill 125 on state organizations and administrations was amended to codify Administrative Directive 19-02, with a note about a possible title issue, and passed. Senate Bill 786 on government records was deferred to February 11 for further amendment work. Senate Bill 1611 on government positions was amended by removing section two and passed. Senate Bill 1637 was deferred for the year after testimony indicated the action could already be done. Senate Bill 1651 on public meetings was amended to require board packets by the third business day before a meeting, remove the word “full,” and adjust notice language, then passed. Senate Bill 1617 on public meetings was deferred because the Office of Information Practices reported no complaints. Senate Bill 1253 on boards and commissions was deferred indefinitely due to no testimony. Senate Bill 1031 on advisory referendums was deferred to February 11 for possible amendments. Senate Bill 1306 on a procurement automation special fund was amended to align procurement statutes and add the School Facilities Authority executive director as a chief procurement officer, then passed.

Transcript Highlights:

• Currently, I am in my 35th year as a municipal telecommunications employee in Barnstable County.
• I mean, they would do police, fire, they were doing 911, and these employees there must—I think about
• Employees who work in these environments should certainly be classified accordingly in Group 2.
• Unit 9 employees are the ones tasked with addressing those problems.
• It's about fairness and parity with other public safety employees with dangerous, high-stress jobs.

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Public Service

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Public Service held its 15th hearing of the 194th General Court, focused on retirement group classifications for a range of public safety and related employees. Much of the testimony centered on bills affecting Barnstable County dispatchers and 911 telecommunicators, who argued they should remain in or be moved to Group 2 because their work is highly stressful, life-or-death in nature, and historically had been treated that way. Speakers said the proposed changes would largely grandfather in current employees, would not add costs in some cases, and were needed to correct outdated statutory language and PERAC rulings that had created uncertainty for workers nearing retirement or already retired. Similar support was offered for bills to reclassify 911 dispatchers statewide from Group 1 to Group 2, with testimony from dispatch supervisors, sheriffs, and police associations describing chronic stress, PTSD, staffing shortages, and retention problems. The committee also heard testimony on several other retirement-related bills. Representatives of Massport and campus police supported measures to align retirement benefits for Massport police and public higher education police with other law enforcement groups, arguing they perform comparable duties and face similar risks. The Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association also backed a bill to ease post-retirement earning restrictions for retired police and firefighters so they can continue consulting, training, or advising without penalty. MOSES testified in favor of bills moving certain state employees into Group 2, including forensic scientists at the State Police Crime Lab, DCR aerial foresters, and Department of Correction construction coordinators, citing hazardous work environments and physical danger. Department of Fire Services compliance officers likewise sought Group 4 classification, describing exposure to toxins, fatal fire scenes, and cancer risks. No votes were taken during the hearing. The committee heard extensive testimony from affected employees, union and association representatives, and public safety officials, all urging favorable reports on the bills. At the end of the hearing, the chairs thanked witnesses and staff, and the committee adjourned after a motion and second.

Transcript Highlights:

• We strongly thank the Senator for bringing this to the committee for state retirees and state employees
• The CalHR Benefits Division administers benefits for state employees and retirees.
• The CalHR Benefits Division administers benefits for state employees and retirees.
• There will be a total of eight different plan options for employees and retirees to choose from.
• But I think it is good information for the state's employees to have.

Summary: The Joint Legislative Audit Committee met to consider new audit requests. The State Auditor reported 10 JALAC audits in progress, with several expected to be published over the coming months, and noted that litigation is delaying the Huntington Beach air show audit. The committee approved a consent calendar of four audit requests covering UC library resources, law enforcement information sharing, EDD unemployment insurance claims, and Housing and Community Development housing development monitoring. The committee then heard Assembly Member DeMaio’s request for an audit of SANDAG’s road project management and use of transportation funds. DeMaio argued the audit was needed to restore public trust and examine whether restricted funds, voter-approved revenues, and project commitments were properly handled. SANDAG’s CEO and CFO said the agency manages many funding sources, undergoes frequent audits, and has strengthened internal controls; they said the requested review would be duplicative of existing oversight. After debate, the committee voted the request down. Next, Senator Valadares presented an audit of the Board of State and Community Corrections’ Proposition 47 grant administration, focusing on whether grantees and BSCC are accurately reporting outcomes and recidivism data and whether oversight is sufficient. BSCC said the program already has multiple oversight layers, including Controller audits, and cited reported improvements in homelessness, employment, and recidivism outcomes. The committee approved the audit. Finally, Senator Cortese’s audit of CalHR’s dental benefits procurement and contract oversight was heard, with supporters citing long-standing benefit caps, provider network problems, and retirees’ out-of-pocket costs. CalHR said its network remains strong, that it recently ran an RFP adding MetLife as a second carrier starting in 2027, and that it uses performance guarantees. The committee approved that audit as well, then completed add-on votes approving the earlier consent calendar items before adjourning.

Transcript Highlights:

• Over the years, we run in the mid-30s to mid-40% state employees in direct care.
• This will help us evaluate all our employees on an electronic basis.
• It will encourage conversation throughout the rating period with employees.
• We can start an employee any day during the pay period.
• And in the environment of employees today, I understand that.

Committee: All ALC-REVIEW

Summary: The ALC-Review Subcommittee reviewed seven methods of finance, including university projects at ASU Jonesboro and Mountain Home, Black River Technical College deferred maintenance, UA Batesville’s Farm Project Gateway Center, UAMS PET cyclotron equipment, a new allied health building at UAPB funded by a federal grant, and UCA’s multi-purpose arena design work. The committee also approved an alternative delivery construction project for UAPB’s Allied Health and Sciences Building, with East Harding Construction selected and AMR Architects as designer. Members then approved discretionary grants from the Department of Health and DHS, including support for a heart attack center designation, community health worker training, homeless services funding corrections, behavioral health transition support, and an enabling technology pilot. In the contracts section, the committee reviewed RFQs, construction-related contracts, intergovernmental contracts, and a large slate of out-of-state and in-state contracts covering topics such as seatbelt survey data collection, Medicaid and DHS systems, state hospital staffing and services, veterans’ services, education assessments, and state IT and procurement projects. Several contracts drew extended questioning. Senators and representatives pressed DHS and the Department of Veterans Affairs about heavy reliance on contract nursing and staffing costs, and officials said they were using pay incentives and recruitment efforts to increase state employee staffing. Members also questioned AEDC’s lithium supply chain study and the Department of Education’s security contract, with concerns about projected costs and repeated amendments. The committee held three in-state contracts—Department of Education security services and two DHS staffing contracts—until Friday, then adopted the remaining contracts and received informational reports on contract amendments, executed contracts, and emergency procurements before adjourning.

Transcript Highlights:

• training providers to equip new workers with in-demand skills or upgrade the skills of existing employees
• It's over 9200 employers, over 130,000 employees, um, and, uh, providing economic benefit, um, all over
• The 1654 simply provides that police officers, firefighters, and other public safety employees cannot
• simply not being able to get well fast enough, unless the employee's position has evaluated the employee
• An administrative law judge to award benefits to an injured employee.

Committee: House S/C on Workforce

Transcript Highlights:

• House Bill 2076 relates to school safety and employees carrying concealed firearms.
• implementing a variety of policy changes to accomplish this new program, the bill says that school employees
• While it would be constitutionally permissible to immunize governmental employees, the way that the bill
• is drafted, it also includes private school employees.
• I believe it would be okay for the private school employees to still be part of that program elsewhere

Summary: The Rules Committee considered several bills for constitutional and proper form. HB 2076, concerning school safety and concealed firearms for school employees, drew an anti-abrogation concern because its civil-liability immunity would also cover private school employees; the Rules Attorney recommended limiting that immunity to public school employees. HB 2136, creating crimes for civil terrorism and subversion, raised vagueness and due process concerns because “subvert” was undefined, and the sponsor agreed to work on a clarifying amendment. HB 2158 and HB 2159, both involving Mexican wolves, were flagged for federal preemption under the Endangered Species Act; members were told amendments may be needed, including possibly striking wolves from HB 2158. HB 2497, asserting a right to hunt, fish, and harvest wildlife and limiting legislative restrictions, raised legislative-entrenchment concerns, with a possible dormant Voter Protection Act issue discussed but not resolved. HB 2755, allowing renewal of state trust land mineral leases without public auction, was flagged for a possible conflict with the constitutional 20-year lease limit, and an amendment was recommended to ensure the original and renewal terms together do not exceed 20 years. HB 4030, imposing a moratorium on tax and fee increases, was flagged for a possible conflict with constitutional limits involving certain ad valorem taxes, and a carve-out amendment was suggested; HCR 2052, a related referral, was also discussed briefly. The committee voted to recommend HB 2076, HB 2136, HB 2158, HB 2159, HB 2497, HB 2755, HB 4030, and HCR 2052 as constitutional and in proper form, each by a 5-2 vote with one absent. Members also debated the legal theories raised by the Rules Attorney, including preemption, vagueness, anti-abrogation, and legislative entrenchment, but no bill was held or amended in committee during this segment. At the end of the meeting, the committee approved a mass motion holding a long list of additional House bills and several memorials and resolutions, and the Rules Office reported that those measures were constitutional and in proper form. That mass motion passed by a vote of seven ayes and one absent.

Transcript Highlights:

• So did the administration sit down with labor unions or employee organizations to discuss the details
• to make those changes administratively on the employee side.
• The employees pay income tax from institutes, so basically we get taxes anyway from the property.
• PFML, importantly, is free for small businesses, defined as those with fewer than 25 employees.
• Some are job-related, some are not, but we want to make sure these employees are protected.

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Revenue

Summary: The Joint Committee on Revenue held a public hearing on H. 4975, Governor Healey’s bill to manage the impact of federal tax changes from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OB3) on Massachusetts. Secretary of Administration and Finance Matt Gorowitz said the bill would phase in selected corporate tax changes over time, avoid a $442 million FY26 revenue hit, preserve the current-year budget, and add a few related changes, including expanding the pass-through entity excise to income subject to the 4% surtax, delaying large federal tax changes over $20 million by one year, limiting opportunity zone benefits to Massachusetts investments, adjusting DFML contributions to match IRS guidance, and aligning casino slot-winnings reporting thresholds with federal law. Committee members questioned the administration about why it chose phased conformity rather than full decoupling, the effect on the budget if the bill does not pass, the purpose of the pass-through entity change, opportunity zones, and the slot-machine threshold and family leave provisions. Public testimony was sharply divided. MassBudget, Progressive Massachusetts, and Don Griswold of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities urged the committee to go further and permanently decouple from the five most costly OB3 corporate tax provisions, arguing that automatic conformity is fiscally risky, rewards investment outside Massachusetts, and has already caused or could cause large revenue losses. Labor and public-sector witnesses, including leaders from the Massachusetts Teachers Association, AFT Massachusetts, SEIU 509, the Massachusetts AFL-CIO, and building trades unions, also called for permanent decoupling, warning that the federal law will deepen state budget pressures, harm schools, health care, human services, and infrastructure, and shift costs onto workers and public programs. Several speakers said Massachusetts should not adopt federal corporate tax cuts that mainly benefit wealthy individuals and corporations. Other testimony focused on specific provisions. Unite Here Local 26 asked the committee to strike the casino slot-winnings threshold change from $1,200 to $2,000, saying the current limit helps identify problem gambling, creates an opportunity for intervention, and supports union jobs. The Massachusetts Society of CPAs supported the administration’s phased approach, especially the research and experimental expense deduction, citing the importance of certainty for business filers and Massachusetts’ strong R&D economy. Greater Boston Legal Services testified on the paid family and medical leave sections, explaining that the bill’s changes would align PFML payroll contributions with new IRS guidance and, if paired with administrative action, would be cost-neutral for workers and employers. No votes were taken during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• Our employees go through these programs.
• We employ 150 to 200 employees throughout Santa Fe and northern New Mexico.
• We employ 150 to 200 employees throughout Santa Fe and northern New Mexico.
• They're investing in their employees and investing in training.
• There's not a business person in here that wouldn't want a trained employee.

Summary: The committee first took up HB 322, as amended, which would create a transportation trust fund and transportation program fund. The sponsor explained that the amendment removed a proposed 1% gross receipts tax on electricity sales, while leaving the broader financing structure in place, including a $400 million seed appropriation and future transfers from motor vehicle excise tax revenues into the new funds and related road accounts. Associated Contractors of New Mexico and the Asphalt Pavement Association testified in support, and there was no opposition. The committee adopted the amendment and then passed the bill on a do-pass vote. The committee then heard HB 270, a public works/apprenticeship bill that would require contributions to approved apprenticeship and training programs or the Public Works Apprentice and Training Fund for certain public works projects, while preserving a zero contribution rate where no approved program exists for a classification. Supporters, including union carpenters, electrical workers, and building trades representatives, argued the bill would close loopholes, expand training opportunities, and strengthen the workforce. Opponents, including utility contractors, highway contractors, and Associated Contractors of New Mexico, argued it would raise project costs, duplicate existing federally approved training programs such as TTCP, and unfairly require payments from contractors who already train workers in-house or cannot access approved programs. Members debated whether the bill would affect existing in-house programs, rural access to training, and whether the language conflicted with existing law. An amendment to limit the bill to projects of $50 million or less was tabled, and the committee then passed HB 270 on a 6-5 do-pass vote. After the bill vote, the committee received a District 3 New Mexico Department of Transportation presentation covering project status, funding, and equipment needs in Bernalillo, Valencia, and parts of Sandoval and Socorro counties. DOT staff reviewed completed and upcoming maintenance and STIP projects, local government and school district cooperative projects, and equipment requests. Members asked about delays on the Rio Bravo Bridge project, which DOT said were caused by utility coordination issues, and about the I-25/Gibson interchange, which remains in design and development with later-year funding anticipated. The presentation also addressed specific local projects such as Paseo del Norte and Paseo del Volcán.

Transcript Highlights:

• a good employee, and it may be, it gives the employee an opportunity to say, I'm on this medication.
• employee at the time.
• The plan should be absolutely that every single employee should be tested.
• Chair, you were an employee at Sunshine, yes?
• I take one of my employees, hey, go represent the parents. Is that due process?

Committee: House Government

Keywords: 1182, all

Transcript Highlights:

• the highway department employee that drives the sanding truck.
• </c><00:13:14.639><c> from</c> officials of public employees from officials of public employees from
• Section four, the chairman also just talked about, and that is public employees.
• Section four, the chairman also just talked about, and that is public employees.
• </c> lot of times um if you have an employee lot of times um if you have an employee contract<00:43:03.680

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee met in executive session to consider HB 314, which would prohibit the use of federal, state, or local funds for lobbying activities. Representative Turkot offered a replace-all amendment intended to be a compromise measure focused on transparency and local control. He explained that the amendment narrows the bill to registered lobbyists, clarifies that public officials and employees who are not required to register as lobbyists are not restricted from testifying, and adds a process allowing municipalities to opt in to lobbying-related spending if approved locally and disclosed in annual reports. He also said the amendment was designed to address confusion he believes has been caused by misinformation about the bill’s effect on municipalities and associations. Committee members raised repeated concerns about how the amendment would apply to school districts, cooperative districts, counties, and other associations beyond the New Hampshire Municipal Association. Turkot and others said the language in RSA 15 and the added references to RSA 318-A were intended to cover lobbying entities generally, while the NHMA section was included because it is separately addressed in statute. Several members questioned whether the amendment’s intent was clear enough without explicit references to schools and counties, and whether the committee should have held a public hearing on the substantially revised language. Supporters argued the amendment was clear, that school districts and municipalities are distinct legal entities, and that cooperative districts could handle the issue through their existing annual-report and voting processes. The discussion also covered how local approval would work, including whether the proposal would require an opt-in vote and how county budgets would reflect lobbying-related dues or expenses. Members noted that in cooperative districts and county settings, approval would likely be handled through existing budget or annual report procedures, with majority vote rules applying where relevant. No final vote on the amendment or bill is reflected in the transcript excerpt, but the committee spent most of the session debating the scope, clarity, and transparency requirements of the proposed changes.