Transcript Highlights:

• While wildfire prevention is important, this bill should not create excessive burdens on farmers and
• wildfire mitigation plan, and part of that plan does discuss their vegetation management program.
• as part of this program and then be used by the counties.
• as part of this program and then be used by the counties.
• additional information as part of this program and then be used by the counties.

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The hearing opened with committee procedures and then took up SB 1, relating to vegetation management near utility lines. DLNR opposed the bill, saying it would shift rights, responsibilities, and liability onto the state and private landowners. Hawaiian Electric supported the measure with amendments, describing it as a first step to address wildfire risk and improve public safety and system reliability. The Hawaii Farm Bureau and Command Schools both raised concerns that the bill could impose significant costs, liability, and access burdens on farmers, ranchers, and other landowners, especially where easements are old or unclear. Life of the Land argued the issue belongs before the Public Utilities Commission, and PUC staff explained that the commission is already reviewing Hawaiian Electric’s wildfire mitigation plan and vegetation management in a docket, with a decision expected by September and public meetings scheduled for April 23 and 24. Committee members questioned the need for legislation versus negotiated solutions, and witnesses said private parties could potentially renegotiate easements without statute. The committee then heard HB 1296, relating to disaster recovery. DLNR and OPSD supported the bill, saying it would ease regulatory burdens in post-disaster rebuilding and help speed permit review. Testimony and member questions focused on the bill’s five-year rebuilding timeline, the role of the coastal zone/SMA process, and how long permit reviews typically take; OPSD said SMA major/use permits generally take about six months, while minor permits are faster. Members also discussed whether the bill would apply to existing structures damaged in disasters and whether the amendments from the Attorney General’s office and OPSD were acceptable; no objections were raised. Finally, the committee heard SB 1170, relating to the expeditious redevelopment and development of affordable rental housing. HHFDC supported the bill, and testimony from a Maui affordable housing project said the measure is needed to rebuild the Weinberg Court Apartments, a 63-unit affordable project in Lahaina, using insurance funds rather than government money. Members asked whether the bill would help existing affordable rental projects damaged before the enactment of related coastal rules, and the response was that the bill is aimed at existing structures damaged during events and intended to speed rebuilding of affordable housing.

Transcript Highlights:

• And mind you, this was a pilot program.
• And lastly, participation in early child care and preschool programs increases high school graduation
• Everybody’s working really hard, but not as hard as our early learning programs work with families and
• And no, our early learning programs do not want to keep all the money that they make because it doesn
• the VPK program and some private pay as well, because it’s—and Mr.

Summary: The Education Administration Subcommittee held an introductory meeting focused largely on member introductions and “homework” reports about education issues in each district. Members raised a wide range of concerns and priorities, including early childhood care and VPK access, school choice and school closures, teacher recruitment and retention, conflict resolution and school safety, early literacy and preparedness, technology and AI/STEM instruction, attendance and mental health, ESE services, dual enrollment and career/technical education, caregiving youth, and real-time student enrollment/funding tracking. Several members also emphasized local challenges such as housing-driven teacher turnover, disaster-related attendance problems, and funding inequities across counties. The committee then heard a detailed presentation on Florida’s early learning system from Chancellor Carrie Miller of the Department of Education’s Division of Early Learning. She outlined the structure and funding of School Readiness, VPK, and the Gold Seal Quality Care program, the role of early learning coalitions and DCF, and the state’s quality and accountability measures. She highlighted the importance of kindergarten readiness, teacher quality, and the new School Readiness Plus program, which helps families transition off subsidy more gradually. Additional panelists from the Children’s Forum, the Early Learning Coalition of Miami-Dade/Monroe, and a Tallahassee child care provider discussed workforce shortages, low wages, provider turnover, the TEACH scholarship program, Help Me Grow, local coalition operations, and the need for more providers and more consistent regulation. During questions, members asked about wait lists, special needs services, teacher retention, provider onboarding, and DCF regulation. The panel said Miami-Dade’s wait list was about 4,000 children and described priority categories for service; they also said children with disabilities are screened and referred for support, though not given a separate priority category. Panelists reported that TEACH has helped reduce turnover through education support and service commitments, but said wages and career pathways remain major issues. Members also pressed for clearer, more consistent licensing standards and more support for new providers entering the field. No formal votes or committee actions were taken in the meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• and prevent it.
• , and there's more. ...whatever-state-homes program.
• At the same time, the BDO will reinforce program integrity through strong oversight and timely intervention
• as soon as possible and as early as possible.”
• I'd have to go back and look at all of our various programs.

Committee: Senate Business & Commerce

Keywords: 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The protocols for the use of the formulary drugs shall be null, void, and of no force and effect on and
• outdoor program.
• In early 2021, the department had experienced a shortage of foster care beds and began using short-term
• And I'm assuming they're going to come and share some things today, probably. ...and maybe we should,
• and toddler programs, and a half-dozen other amazing kid programs.

Summary: The committee first heard House Bill 639 from Senator Ben Taves, which would modernize Idaho’s licensed midwifery laws by replacing a fixed statutory medication list with a board-defined formulary and protocol for maternal and neonatal care. Supporters, including licensed midwives Charity Catlin and Valerie Hall, said the bill would reduce unnecessary hospital transfers, especially for stable postpartum hemorrhage cases and other rural maternity situations, while lowering costs and preserving recovery and bonding. Senator Taves said he worked with the Idaho Midwifery Council and that the bill aligns Idaho with neighboring states. The committee voted to send HB 639 to the Senate floor with a due pass recommendation. The committee then received a presentation from the Office of Performance Evaluations on state oversight of children’s residential care. OPE reported concerns about limited licensing authority, unclear children’s rights information, lack of required reporting on restraint and seclusion, weak enforcement, and inconsistent monitoring practices. The report also found that foster youth placements in residential care had increased, including out-of-state placements, and that the state lacked a clear way to track whether children were in the most appropriate setting. OPE recommended more unannounced surveys, standardized contract monitoring, better communication across divisions, and clearer abuse-investigation procedures. Department of Health and Welfare officials responded that they had already reduced congregate care use, created a Continuity Care Bureau, and implemented or were implementing several recommendations. They said licensing had adopted priority response timelines similar to child protection cases and was working on resident-rights improvements, but acknowledged a remaining gap in placing substantiated perpetrators on a registry and said legislative action would be needed. The committee discussed the need for stronger oversight for both foster and privately placed children, and the chair announced the committee would meet again the next day for a Medicaid and managed care presentation.

Transcript Highlights:

• The protocols for the use of the formulary drugs shall be null, void, and of no force and effect on and
• outdoor program.
• In early 2021, the department had experienced a shortage of foster care beds and began using short-term
• And I'm assuming they're going to come and share some things today, probably. ...and maybe we should—I
• Program, and a half-dozen other amazing kid programs.

Committee: Senate Health and Welfare

Keywords: 989, all

Transcript Highlights:

• meals, frozen shipped meals, and contracted meals with youth and daycare programs.
• I talk a lot in this committee about suicide prevention, and programs like this connect veterans to the
• And so we need to find places where we can invest in these types of programs, interventions, and mentorships
• I oversee the therapy program and our outreach program.
• this includes Suicide prevention and solutions to homelessness.

Committee: House Veterans and Military Affairs Division

Transcript Highlights:

• And Dr. Rosinski, apologize for the confusion. Thank you. And Dr.
• And I'm certainly here to answer questions and show my support.
• And this is a good idea, tried and done in other states. And so I'm so glad to see you.
• , and poor outcomes.
• My name is Sherry Lopez, and I am a survivor of child grooming and sex trafficking and president of the

Committee: Senate Senate Health and Human Services COR

Summary: The Committee on Health and Human Services heard several bills and held HB 2307. HB 2049 would allow use of a particle accelerator to treat human diseases under general supervision in counties under 400,000 population and at critical access hospitals, with documentation, observation, and monitoring requirements. Testimony from rural hospital and radiation oncology representatives emphasized oncologist shortages, long travel distances for cancer patients, and the need to maintain safety while improving access; the bill received a due pass recommendation on a 7-0 vote. HB 2178 would require any chief medical officer for a state agency to hold an active medical license, and members described it as a common-sense licensing requirement. HB 2179 would separate air ambulances from ground ambulances in statute, define air ambulance-related terms, and update staffing and regulatory provisions to better match current practice; air medical representatives said it was a statutory cleanup measure, and both bills were passed out of committee unanimously, 7-0. HB 2322 would require audio or video recording of DCS interviews with children, with exceptions for equipment failure or unforeseeable lack of access, and would preserve admissibility of statements even if a recording was not made. Supporters, including a trafficking survivor, a health care worker, and a foster parent, argued recordings protect children, improve accuracy and accountability, and reduce disputes over what was said. The bill also includes a conditional enactment tied to future federal grant legislation; it received a 7-0 due pass recommendation. The committee also announced that minutes were not ready for approval and that HB 2307 would be held.

Transcript Highlights:

• IT'S CREATING A FREE PROGRAM INCREASING AND CREATING PENALTIES FOR VIOLATIONS WITH DERELICT VESSELS AND
• TO COORDINATE PROGRAMS AND THAT IS THE BILL. >> Sen.
• THIS LEGISLATION SEEKS TO TOUR HIT-AND-RUN INCREASING ACCOUNTABILITY FOR MOTOR VEHICLE REPAIR WHILE PREVENTING
• I DON'T THINK WE WANT TO PREVENT FLORIDA'S ACCESS TO BEST IN CLASS TECHNOLOGY FOR THE AGRICULTURE AND
• ONE AND AND A HALF.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And, you know, at that time, fleeing from a law enforcement officer, as you and I discussed, and the
• And I know you had a program and a public service announcement.
• We have nothing in the rules and regulations to prevent them from being hired, but what we do is disclose
• But again, four and a half years is what we inherited, and we're down to a year and a half, and that's
• And your program covers all level of law enforcement. Is that correct? Yes, ma'am.

Committee: All ALC-GAME & FISH/STATE POLICE

Summary: The committee first heard from Arkansas State Police leadership about efforts to reduce vehicle pursuits and fleeing from law enforcement. Members discussed prior legislation that made fleeing a felony and enhanced penalties when suspects exit moving vehicles, and the State Police reported those changes, along with a social media/public service campaign and work with prosecutors, were associated with a 29% decline in pursuits from 2023 to 2025, or 180 fewer pursuits last year than in 2023. Members also asked about a recent mistaken PIT/TVI incident involving the wrong vehicle; the agency said the family was not injured, had requested privacy, and the trooper involved was terminated. The committee also received an overview of the Arkansas State Police Foundation, which funds scholarships, emergency assistance for troopers’ families, and facilities and training support, with no lobbying role reported. The committee then heard from the Commission on Law Enforcement Standards and Training on officer decertification and hiring accountability. Director Chris Chapman explained that every officer separation must be reported, that files are flagged when conduct may warrant decertification even if it does not meet that threshold, and that hiring agencies must be told about prior misconduct before they can add an officer to their roster. He said the commission now receives more decertification requests than before, with requests rising from 158 in the prior three-year period to 256 in the last three years, and that 147 officers were pending hearings, down from a prior backlog that had stretched to about four and a half years. He also said the commission meets every other month for two-day hearings, and that most decertifications involve integrity or honesty issues. Members asked about open investigations, citizen complaints, appeals, and public access to decertification records. Chapman said resignations during internal affairs or criminal investigations are flagged, citizen complaints are usually handled through supervisors, chiefs, sheriffs, or prosecutors and may lead to decertification review if warranted, and decertified officers can appeal to circuit court. He added that decertification records are subject to the Freedom of Information Act and may be used in civil claims. No votes were taken, and the meeting adjourned after discussion of a possible future committee meeting at the fish hatchery in Lonoke.

Transcript Highlights:

• meal swipe programs, and more.
• Cutting funds and closing programs or scaling back on programs and services will inflict enduring and
• We have the CIRT program, and we've had this program for 32 years.
• And briefly on RAFT, we ask you to increase funding for RAFT, the homelessness prevention program, and
• PACE programs are an integrated program and are administered through MassHealth and function through

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Ways and Means

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Ways and Means Committee held its final public hearing on the FY26 state budget, with chairs and members emphasizing that public testimony would help shape the budget and asking speakers to keep remarks brief. Committee leaders introduced members, explained the hearing process, and repeatedly thanked residents, students, and advocates for participating. No votes were taken during the hearing. Testimony focused heavily on education funding and the Chapter 70 formula. Students from Amherst, Northampton, Gateway Regional, Chester Elementary, and other districts described budget-driven cuts to electives, special education supports, paraprofessionals, counselors, transportation, and building maintenance. They urged higher Chapter 70 aid, increased minimum aid, rural school aid, and a reopening or restructuring of the funding formula, arguing that current formulas leave many districts unable to meet student needs and force local layoffs and overrides. Other speakers urged funding or protection for a range of programs and facilities, including the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute for homicide survivor services, the Museum of African American History, the Massachusetts Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and CART/interpreter services, the Access to Counsel housing legal aid program, the Department of Mental Health and Pocasset Mental Health Center, and Pappas Rehabilitation Hospital for Children. One speaker opposed offshore wind-related spending and urged a reset of the state’s energy approach, while another advocated ending the aircraft sales tax exemption. Committee members responded sympathetically to many speakers, asked a few follow-up questions, and several expressed support for maintaining or expanding the programs discussed.

Transcript Highlights:

• implementing a heat injury and illness prevention plan, and the general expectation is that it will
• </c><05:04:23.040><c> Um</c> injury and illness prevention plan.
• Um injury and illness prevention plan.
• , executive intervention, and increasing litigation.
• </c> intervention, and increasing litigation. intervention, and increasing litigation.

Committee: House Labor, Industrial and Rehabilitative Services

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• to have more targeted and personalized interventions closer to their homes, and this will be likely
• </c><00:43:05.240><c> personalized</c><00:43:05.800><c> interventions</c> targeted and personalized interventions
• prevent and treat more proactively.
• This will be powered by AI, and we will be able to rapidly design novel interventions.
• This will be powered by AI, and we will be able to rapidly design novel interventions.

Committee: Senate Jobs and Economic Development

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• vehicles and car... ...regulations and funding programs that encourage the transition to zero-mission
• early and vigorous outreach, and acknowledge the Senator's comments that this is a work in progress
• programs are separate and that nothing in the statewide program would preclude local water rate assistance
• They do not pay into the cap-and-trade program.
• So as refineries leave California, Cap-and-trade program.

Committee: Senate Environmental Quality

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Mayor Edwards stepped in recently, and veteran programs have become near and dear to his heart because
• , training programs at the municipal, parish, and even at the local and individual level for public works
• , kidney stones, and even early puberty.
• And I'm just here to really answer any questions if there were any about this program and why it is a
• And my question is, I serve on human trafficking. I mentioned that early.

Committee: House Judiciary

Summary: The House Committee on Judiciary met on March 19, 2006, and considered a series of mostly local and judicial bills. Early action included HB 436, which authorizes appointment of honorably discharged veterans as park wardens; supporters said it would give veterans meaningful service roles and improve park safety. The committee adopted an amendment requiring honorable discharge, employment qualification compliance if hired by a public entity, and firearms training where applicable, then reported the bill favorably. The committee also advanced HB 16, extending the jurisdiction of the City Court of Franklin, and HB 44, which shifts certain blight-related hearings in St. Bernard Parish from the Bureau of Administrative Adjudication to justices of the peace and constables; members asked about appeals, fines, jurisdictional limits, and whether the change would affect HOAs, and the bill was reported favorably. Members then approved HB 61 creating Battle of New Orleans Day, with an amendment clarifying holiday language and adding a detailed historical commemoration of the battle and its diverse forces. HB 233, which raises juror mileage reimbursement from 16 cents per mile to the state travel rate, drew support but also concern about the cost to local governments; the sponsor and members discussed the fiscal impact, and the bill was reported favorably. HB 164, expanding commissioner powers in the 15th Judicial District Court, was also reported favorably after testimony that it would help manage caseloads and mirror procedures used in other districts. HB 455, defining public works employees as first responders for coordination and recognition purposes, generated extensive questions about emergency authority, FEMA reimbursement, workers’ compensation, liability, and unintended consequences; the committee deferred the bill to a later meeting for further review. The committee also approved HB 242, authorizing deputy constables in St. Tammany Parish at no state cost, and HB 10, making the Friday of the International Rice Festival a legal holiday in Acadia Parish. HB 9, designating Shreveport as the stuffed shrimp capital of Louisiana, was reported favorably after light discussion. HB 571, which would make permanent the complex litigation section program in the 19th Judicial District Court, was supported by judges and court staff who said it improves efficiency in large cases such as asbestos and hurricane litigation; it was reported favorably. Finally, HB 16 and several other local measures moved forward without objection, while the committee also heard a deeply personal presentation on HB 61 designating February 24 as SCN2A Awareness Day, later amended to honor Emily Catherine Diedon by name; members expressed sympathy, discussed genetic testing and access to care, and reported the bill favorably as amended.

Transcript Highlights:

• IPDES Program Fund to shift personnel costs and IPDES Program Fund to shift personnel costs and support
• Range Fire Protection Program and for fire preparedness.
• And if I look at the reversion in the Forest and Range Fire Protection Program that we're being asked
• and Range Fire Protection Program and for fiscal year 27, so beginning July 1st, and again would restore
• The outreach program includes educational and vocational services, assessment assistance, and early childhood

Summary: The committee first took up the Department of Environmental Quality budget. Staff outlined enhancements for monitoring and maintenance at the Triumph Mine, a transfer for Coeur d’Alene Basin remediation, and a fund shift to move positions from federal funds to the Idaho Pollutant Discharge Elimination System program fund. Members also approved language to consolidate certain air permitting and drinking water permitting fee funds, and later adopted additional language related to a solid waste regulatory fund transfer tied to House Bill 555. The DEQ motion passed with do-pass recommendations. The committee then considered the Department of Lands, focusing heavily on fire preparedness funding for the Forest and Range Fire Protection Program. Members debated whether to restore one-time General Fund money for standby crews in FY 2026 and FY 2027, with some arguing the department had reverted funds in prior years and had other dedicated funds available, while the department explained those funds were legally committed to other purposes and that the standby crews support state firefighting readiness. The FY 2026 supplemental passed, the FY 2027 enhancement initially failed, reconsideration was debated under parliamentary rules, and after reconsideration the FY 2027 fire preparedness funding passed. The committee also adopted language allowing transfers between department programs and approved language restricting the use of General Fund firefighter bonus money to firefighters. Next, the committee reviewed Educational Services for the Deaf and the Blind. The budget included career ladder adjustments, a van replacement, staffing for a new 18-bed residential building in Gooding, replacement items, and an endowment fund adjustment. Members debated a substitute motion that would fund the new cottage staff for the opening of the new dormitory, with supporters emphasizing the need to avoid leaving the new facility unused and opponents noting the budget’s size and the broader constraints on other agencies. The substitute motion failed and the original motion passed, resulting in a do-pass recommendation. Finally, the committee considered the State Department of Education budget. The agency requested additional spending authority for school bus camera grants, an extended USDA farm-to-school grant, and ongoing child nutrition technology grants. A substitute motion to increase the farm-to-school authority to match the anticipated federal extension failed, and the original motion passed, approving the dedicated and federal fund increases and sending the budget forward with a do-pass recommendation. The committee then adjourned after announcing the next day’s agenda.

Transcript Highlights:

• CDSS has been working to measure take-up rates of CalWORKs and CalFresh as standalone programs, and we
• policy, program processes, and service change.
• , and the California Medical Services Program.
• support other grants and programs.
• programs like LIHEAP and CSBG.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We've had this before in front of us early and we took it off the list.
• I think that'll keep the office functioning, and this incentive program I think will be very successful
• and this incentive program I functioning and this incentive program I think<00:39:19.200><c> will</c
• And I can't think of any other intervention that would have that kind of impact than simply making it
• So to me, it's all the same. ...departments, and they won't have access to preventive care.

Committee: Senate Finance

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This has helped maintain the stability and prevent the corporate conversions that we've seen throughout
• This has helped maintain the stability and prevent the corporate conversions that we've seen throughout
• </c><00:18:02.720><c> prevent</c><00:18:03.120><c> the</c> maintain the stability and prevent the maintain
• the stability and prevent the corporate<00:18:03.919><c> conversions</c><00:18:04.400><c> that</c><00
• , large minimum lot size requirements, and restrictions on multifamily development, which prevent the

Committee: Senate Housing and Homelessness Prevention

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It reduces child care wait times and builds Child Care and Early Learning System capacity.
• I also serve on Chair Robinson's fraud prevention committee, and the CCAP program was actually one of
• </c><00:19:09.080><c> CCAP</c> prevention committee and the uh CCAP prevention committee and the uh CCAP
• ><c> it</c><00:19:25.240><c> feels</c> aspects of that program and uh it feels aspects of that program
• > expenses</c> credit and grant program for expenses credit and grant program for expenses incurred<00

Bills: HF1277 , HF812 , HF457 , HF633

Committee: House Taxes

Keywords: data centers, tax exemption, Minnesota statutes, economic development, employment growth, income tax, tax brackets, tax adjustments, Minnesota, tax policy, underutilized buildings, adaptive reuse, building conversion, historic preservation, downtown revitalization, vacant property, vacancy reduction, refundable tax credit, income tax credit, grant in lieu of credit

Transcript Highlights:

• , loan programs and stuff like that, but do we, and I know FSA had a program at one time, I don't know
• Our major programs within NDSU Extension are agriculture and natural resources, and so we cover a wide
• We have a program in family and community wellness, which includes our food and nutrition programs.
• We have a program in family and community wellness, which includes our food and nutrition programs, aging
• And then we also have programs in 4-H and youth development, and that's really a key focus area for engaging

Summary: The meeting began with approval of the prior minutes and opening remarks from NDSU President David Stewart, who emphasized NDSU’s land-grant mission of statewide service through teaching, research, and extension. He highlighted the university’s role in agriculture, water, soil health, and community outreach, and pointed to examples of research commercialization such as Lilac Agriculture’s work on nitrogen-fixing microbes for crops. He also said he is still early in his tenure and intends to spend time listening and learning across the state. The committee then received a detailed presentation on a state irrigation and drainage study from Tom Bodine on behalf of Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring. The study estimated that North Dakota could develop about 1.3 million additional irrigated acres, with major potential in counties such as McLean, Williams, Sargent, Burleigh, Mountrail, McKenzie, McIntosh, Dunn, and Bottineau. Testimony stressed the economic benefits of irrigation for crop yields, value-added processing, dairy, and potato production, while members also discussed water availability, aquifers, downstream water use, and the need for more flexible permitting. The drainage portion of the study found significant economic benefits from legal drains, and staff explained that the impacts were calculated through increased productivity and related input purchases. Greg Lardy then gave NDSU’s required agriculture update, saying agriculture accounts for more than $41 billion in annual economic activity, one in five jobs, and about 25 percent of state GDP. He reviewed the role of SBAR, the statewide research-extension network, new crop varieties, virtual fencing, AI and weather-network tools, and Extension’s county partnerships and youth programs. He also outlined NDSU’s priorities for the next session: restoring proposed budget cuts, increasing operating support, and addressing deferred maintenance. Members asked about storage shed construction, NDSU’s relationship with Grand Farm, and whether NDSU could help with water-related research tied to drainage and aquifers. The committee also heard from the North Dakota Water Resources Research Institute and a professor on water and data centers, who described graduate fellowships, a water workforce certificate program, and research on data center cooling, water use, and “Legendary Harvest” concepts that would reuse waste heat for greenhouse or aquaculture production. Questions focused on whether the cooling systems were closed-loop, who would own any related production facilities, and whether the project was still only a feasibility study. Finally, North Dakota AgTech described its NSF-funded “engine” project, saying it has brought millions in federal investment to the state, supported startups and on-farm trials, and is focused on commercialization, workforce development, and helping producers lower input costs and improve profitability.