Transcript Highlights:

• General Appropriation Act, in other words, House Bill 2, however, it's modified, includes a fund transfer
• point out that the Children's Trust Fund does have, I don't know the actual balance before this fund transfer
• So, there's a $6 million fund transfer that's been included this year.
• Chair, I would say, having more detailed information on what that transfer goes to would be helpful too

Committee: House House Appropriations & Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• The rest is transferred into the General Fund. How often is that transferred?
• It's... ...transferred into the General Fund. How often is that transferred? It is.
• And can you just broadly explain how some of the transfer agreements would be handled? I can.
• So you're addressing the technology transfer agreements.
• Technology transfer agreements are housed in our measure of tax statute.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• within its annual budget as she transfer within its annual budget as she or<00:21:22.480><c> he</c><
• This says the limit is now 250 in the aggregate amount of all transfers per quarter. >> Mhm.
• This says the limit is now 250 in the aggregate amount of all transfers per quarter.
• language, which is the aggregate amount of any individual transfer.
• language, which is the aggregate amount of any individual transfer.

Committee: House Primary and Secondary Education

Keywords: 958, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Hospital, the requirement by the Clark consent order for the timelines requiring defendants being transferred
• Hospital, the requirement by the Clark consent order for the timelines requiring defendants being transferred
• for an amendment to the Clark injunction so that we do not have the timelines requirement for the transfer
• </c><00:14:42.959><c> from</c> defendants being transferred from defendants being transferred from Department
• </c><00:17:21.679><c> from</c> requirement for the transfer from requirement for the transfer from Department

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The briefing focused on the Hawaii State Hospital’s overcrowding, construction defects in the new addition, and how Act 26 and related court-ordered processes are affecting admissions and discharges. The chair said the hospital has become increasingly forensic-focused, has lost beds after the closure of Kahimohala, and may face further costs and possible litigation over the defective addition. Hospital and Department of Health officials said they are working with the attorney general and contractors on repairs, and that the hospital is currently using all 292 licensed beds, including 13 waiver beds, while average daily census last fiscal year was 376. Officials explained that the high census is driven by both increased admissions and discharge barriers. They said the loss of Kahimohala returned patients to the state hospital, and that Act 26-related petty misdemeanor cases are contributing to admissions. They also said limited lower-level placement options delay discharges. Hospital staff reported that many patients are repeat admissions, about 22% were unhoused before admission, and a significant share are in categories such as fitness-to-proceed evaluations and conditional-release violations. They said these groups could potentially be reduced if evaluations were done elsewhere and if more community or supportive housing were available. The chair and senators questioned whether some fitness-to-proceed detainees need to be held at the state hospital at all, and whether the Clark consent order requires transfer to the hospital. The attorney general’s office said the Clark injunction does not govern unfitness-to-proceed cases; instead, the requirement comes from state statute, and the statute could be changed. Director Johnson said DCR cannot keep such detainees because the court orders them into the custody of the Department of Health, and the department cannot provide the needed therapeutic level of care in a correctional setting. The discussion also emphasized co-occurring substance use and mental illness, especially among petty misdemeanor defendants, and the need for supportive housing and a decompression plan to reduce readmissions and free beds for civil commitments.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:13:11.959><c> pretty</c><00:13:12.160><c> much</c> but otherwise it transfers pretty much but
• otherwise it transfers pretty much in<00:13:12.600><c> mass</c><00:13:13.480><c> that</c><00:13:13.639
• Typically, an individual begins treatment at Moose Lake and transfers to the St.
• They have not transferred yet.
• They have not transferred yet.

Committee: House Human Services Finance and Policy

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• statewide coalition of conservation groups that joined forces six years ago to revitalize the trust land transfer
• We are strongly in favor of the significant appropriation for the trust land transfer program as proposed
• And the trust land transfer program is a great example of that because you're making an investment in
• The strong investment you're making in the Trust Land Transfer Program buys replacement land elsewhere
• The strong investment you're making in the trust land transfer program buys replacement land elsewhere

Summary: The Capital Budget Committee held a hearing on Proposed Substitute House Bill 2295, the supplemental capital budget. Staff said the proposal totals nearly $911 million, including about $400 million in bonds and $511 million from other state and federal sources, with much of the increase over the governor’s proposal coming from Climate Commitment Act (CCA) funding. Major spending areas include housing and homelessness, K-12 construction, human services facilities, and CCA-funded clean energy, decarbonization, and habitat restoration projects. The chair said the committee would not take amendments at the hearing and planned to vote out the budget on Thursday, with a technical fix striker expected. Testimony was largely supportive of the House proposal, with many witnesses asking the committee to preserve or increase specific items in final negotiations. Housing advocates urged support for the Housing Trust Fund, manufactured housing preservation, and projects such as Alliance Place, Cloverdale Cottages, Cherry Street Village, Somos, and the Thrive Center. Education and public facility witnesses backed investments in school seismic safety, small district modernization, Healthy Kids Healthy Schools, community college and university maintenance, and projects at Cascadia College, WSU, CWU, and UW. Health and human services testimony supported behavioral health, Tubman Center, HealthPoint, pregnant parenting treatment, and the Yakima Behavioral Health Hub. Natural resources, climate, and infrastructure witnesses praised funding for Flood Plains by Design, community forests, trust land transfer, salmon recovery, the Skokomish land purchase, and the Lower Columbia River dredging project. Several local governments and organizations requested additional support or Senate-level funding for specific projects, while Climate Solutions cautioned against using CCA dollars to backfill existing obligations. The committee heard no votes during the hearing, and the chair closed by saying the budget would be executed on Thursday.

Transcript Highlights:

• And I wanted a little more detail on the land acquisition trust and the transfer.
• on Florida Forever, and I know on Comprehensive Everglades Restoration, do all those powers then transfer
• Are we eliminating it and do the powers transfer to the ARC then? You can go back and forth. Yes.
• Senator Smith: Do those responsibilities still move with the transfer into ARC?
• Do those responsibilities still move with the transfer into ARC?

Summary: The Committee on Environment and Natural Resources met with a quorum present and took up several environmental bills and one confirmation. First, the committee considered SB 1422 on surface waters, which was amended with a strike-all focused on coral reef protection and designation of coral reefs as critical natural infrastructure. Senator Garcia described the amendment as a way to support restoration, disaster resilience, and access to federal funding; Audubon Florida waived in support. The committee adopted the amendment and then reported CS for SB 1422 favorably. The committee next considered SPB 7034, a DEP rule ratification concerning the Lower Santa Fe and Ichetucknee River minimum flows and levels and recovery strategy. Senator Rodriguez explained the rule would replace prior MFLs and allow longer permits, while opponents from the Florida Springs Council and local river advocates argued the plan relies too heavily on one future wastewater reuse project, delays restoration, and lacks a clear funding source. DEP and JEA waived in support. After debate, the committee approved the motion to submit the proposal as a committee bill; the measure was favorably reported, with Senator Smith voting no. The committee then heard SB 1510 on DEP-related matters, as amended. The strike-all addressed Outstanding Florida Springs B-MAP mediation plans, septic system upgrades where sewer is unavailable, rural cost-share eligibility, notice to property owners, rulemaking procedures, and land acquisition governance, while removing biosolids and fee provisions. Florida Springs Council opposed the 60-day delay for B-MAP effectiveness, saying it could slow restoration and allow more conventional septic systems to be installed before stricter requirements take effect. DEP and others supported the bill. The committee reported CS for SB 1510 favorably. It also heard SB 1196 on waste facilities, which would prohibit new ash-producing incinerators and waste-to-energy facilities within two miles of certain federally authorized water impoundment areas, with an amendment narrowing the bill to Miami-Dade and Broward County. Supporters, including the City of Miramar, said it would protect water resources and Everglades restoration; opponents from the Florida Waste-to-Energy Coalition warned it would limit local solid waste options and could force more landfilling. The committee adopted the amendment and reported CS for SB 1196 favorably. Finally, the committee considered SB 912 on battery collection and recovery, establishing a battery stewardship program and requiring producers and retailers to join a stewardship organization by 2028. Supporters from the battery industry and recycling sector said the bill would reduce fires and keep batteries out of the waste stream. The committee adopted the amendment and reported CS for SB 912 favorably. The committee also recommended confirmation of Gary Jennings to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, and then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• I know there's others in the state, but wives or family members that are working can make that transfer
• I know there's others in the state, but wives or family members that are working can make that transfer
• c><00:26:12.480><c> can</c><00:26:12.799><c> make</c><00:26:12.960><c> that</c><00:26:13.200><c> transfer
• </c> that are working can make that transfer that are working can make that transfer real<00:26:14.000

Bills: HB139 , HB172 , HB156 , HB139 , HB172 , HB156

Committee: House Health

Keywords: HB139, Alabama discrimination, civil rights, public accommodations, employment discrimination, equal access, protected classes, race discrimination, sex discrimination, religious discrimination, age discrimination, disability discrimination, national origin discrimination, school board discrimination, labor organization, employment agency, retaliation, private right of action, punitive damages, attorney fees

Transcript Highlights:

• We're at issue one, which is motor vehicle account fund transfers.
• The budget proposes a one-time $166 million total transfer from the Air Pollution Control Fund and Greenhouse
• Have you ever done transfers that essentially result in proposition money, like Prop 4 being used to
• Currently, the budget proposes a one-time $166 million transfer.
• We need to transfer risk where appropriate, among other considerations.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The House position reduces the transfer by $100,000 in 26 and 27 and then $100,000 in FY28-29.
• Um, the House reduces the transfer by $10,000 in FY26-27 and $10,000 in FY28-29.
• Um, there was previously dollars that were transferred to the fund or transferred to the account in FY25
• were transferred to the fund<00:20:10.480><c> or</c><00:20:10.640><c> transferred</c><00:20:10.960><
• </c><01:53:07.280><c> um</c> spreadsheet that this was a transfer um spreadsheet that this was a transfer

Keywords: 919, house, all

Summary: The Higher Education Finance and Policy Conference Committee met publicly to compare House and Senate positions on the higher education budget, with the chairs emphasizing transparency and alternating gavel control. Nonpartisan fiscal staff walked through a spreadsheet of differences across the Office of Higher Education and Minnesota State, including major items such as state grants, childcare grants, work study, tribal college grants, emergency assistance grants, hunger-free campus grants, student parent support, direct admissions, paramedic scholarships, and several medical residency and fellowship programs. The House and Senate also differed on administrative funding, campus sexual assault reporting, and a House FY25 cancellation that would be carried forward. Members discussed several of the larger policy and funding choices. The Senate explained its increase for Minitex as support for operating costs and statewide access to information. The House explained its cuts to student parent support and other items as necessary to work within a zero target and to prioritize direct aid to students, while the Senate said it focused on direct appropriations and access-related programs. On hunger-free campus grants and emergency assistance grants, the Senate said it was changing the distribution method and direct appropriations rather than reducing the overall money, while the House noted differences in whether nonprofit institutions remained included. The committee also reviewed Senate-only additions and reductions in Minnesota State, including free course materials, Lake Superior College remediation, and changes to the Kids on Campus appropriation. A representative from Lake Superior College testified that the PAS remediation funding would help address contamination issues at an emergency training site near Lake Superior and that the money was shifted from the Kids on Campus initiative. No final conference agreement or vote was taken in the portion of the meeting provided; the committee continued discussing differences and testimony.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> passing the $5 million transfer passing the $5 million transfer Authority<00:09:16.920><c> we</c
• </c><00:09:31.120><c> Authority</c><00:09:31.519><c> and</c> did use that transfer Authority and did
• use that transfer Authority and really<00:09:31.920><c> appreciate</c><00:09:32.760><c> being</c><00:
• I'll move on to the other bill, transferring back to the Board of Animal Health, as again others have
• I'll move on to the other bill, transferring back to the Board of Animal Health, as again others have

Committee: Senate Agriculture, Veterans, Broadband, and Rural Development

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• , overall, I would support that, but I wonder: once that’s purchased, the long-term intent is to transfer
• In other words, will it be transferred, because the LAO, one ago, mentioned that state parks maintenance
• So I would like to know specifically: the language I see is intent to transfer, and whether you have
• worked out when that transfer date will be.
• We were disappointed that the May Revision maintains the proposal to transfer the participants of DSGS

Summary: The subcommittee heard an overview of the May Revision from the Department of Finance and the Legislative Analyst’s Office, focused on resources, environmental protection, energy, and related budget issues. Finance said the May Revision keeps the budget balanced in 2026-27 and 2027-28, narrows the structural deficit, and proposes major investments in natural resources, including Proposition 4 bond funding for the Golden Gate Fields acquisition, wildlife refuge and wetland projects, Fort Ord Dunes campground operations, Healthy Rivers and Landscapes, wildfire-human coexistence, and beverage container recycling. The LAO praised stronger-than-expected revenues but argued the state still has a structural deficit and is relying too heavily on reserves, recommending more reserve deposits and fewer new discretionary expenditures. Members questioned several proposals, especially the Golden Gate Fields purchase and the Healthy Rivers and Landscapes Program. Agency officials said the Golden Gate Fields site is a time-limited opportunity, would be remediated by the current owner, transferred to East Bay Regional Park District after closing, and restricted to park/open-space uses rather than commercial development. On Healthy Rivers and Landscapes, Finance and the Natural Resources Agency said the $25 million request would help launch year one of the program, support scientific monitoring, and maintain commitments to environmental flows and habitat restoration; the LAO said the request was premature because the Bay-Delta plan has not yet been formally adopted and the state’s total funding commitment remains unclear. Officials also discussed water storage, subsidence, and the need for ongoing investments in aquifer recharge, aqueduct repairs, and recycling. The committee also reviewed a proposed $1 million shift for the Coexisting with Wildlife Initiative. Fish and Wildlife and the Cattlemen’s Association said the money would support limited-term staffing, deterrence tools, and livestock-loss compensation, while acknowledging the amount is modest compared with the need. Members emphasized the growing human-wildlife conflict problem and the importance of nonlethal deterrence and public education. The discussion then turned to greenhouse gas reduction fund revenues and transit; members warned that lower auction revenues and possible CARB rule changes could leave little or nothing for Tier 3 programs such as transit, clean water, and air-quality programs. Finance and the LAO said the Legislature should plan for multiple revenue scenarios and consider whether the existing cap-and-invest spending framework still matches current revenue expectations and priorities.

Transcript Highlights:

• It was one-time STEM career awareness transfer on that one. That was a House position.
• Teacher retention and recruitment, state scholarship transfer, House.
• Teacher retention and recruitment, state scholarship transfer, House.
• And then you got the access, the scholarship, and then you got the transfer, the fund swap.
• The new language, this is for the transfer I alluded to. So it'll be House.

Committee: House Conference Committee on Budget

Summary: The conference committee spent most of the meeting working through House Bill 2, the education budget, with repeated debate over how to close the remaining gap in the foundation formula. Members discussed fund swaps involving the blind pension fund, capital commission fund, lottery proceeds, state school money, and classroom trust funds, with several senators arguing the committee should fully fund the formula if possible and warning against leaving schools with a shortfall. The committee also reviewed child care subsidies, Parents as Teachers language, school safety and assessment-related items, Title I reallocation language, and a compromise on flexibility percentages for certain education lines. Several members raised concerns about language restricting virtual Parents as Teachers visits and about child care subsidy language tied to enrollment-based payment and prospective payment, while others defended the compromise as a way to balance provider concerns and budget limits. House Bill 3, covering higher education, was also reviewed. The committee largely accepted Senate positions on appropriations, with a compromise on the St. Louis Community College nursing program and a new proposal directing the Department of Higher Education to develop a new funding model by December 1, 2026. That language drew concern from some members, who said the timeline was too aggressive and asked for more flexibility, but supporters said prior work on performance funding justified the deadline. The committee then moved through House Bill 2004, transportation, agreeing to a mix of Senate positions and compromises on items such as safety operations, low-volume roads, port funding, and road improvements, including a larger-than-expected appropriation for Clarendon Road tied to a State Fair relocation plan. House Bill 5, general administration and IT, generated the most controversy over new language directing a plan for state IT modernization and cloud migration; several members objected that it was too prescriptive, resembled a resolution, and could favor a specific vendor, but the chair said the goal was accountability and oversight. The committee left some House Bill 5 items open for further negotiation, then later returned to finalize several dollar amounts and a shorter conference proposal on the IT language. The committee also worked through House Bills 7, 8, and 9, mostly adopting Senate positions with a few compromises. House Bill 7 covered economic development and tourism items, including Main Street, Missouri One Start, broadband, Juneteenth, and the Great American State Fair, with some items set aside for later or moved to other bills. House Bill 8 focused on public safety and veterans’ funding, including school safety apps, fentanyl testing, crime lab workload, DNA testing, veterans’ programs, and Highway Patrol fleet and fuel items; members debated whether to keep fleet and fuel funding separated or rolled together, and several items were set at compromise levels. House Bill 9, covering mental health and corrections, was handled more briefly, with most items following Senate positions and a few compromises, including probation and parole funding and a reduction on one appropriation. The committee then recessed and later resumed with House Bill 2010, beginning work on another budget bill with a mix of Senate, House, and compromise positions on early line items, but the transcript cuts off before that bill is completed.

Transcript Highlights:

• to make sure that they aren't, uh, if they do check all those boxes about what they need to do to transfer
• </c><00:36:10.640><c> that</c><00:36:11.119><c> the</c><00:36:11.359><c> last</c> need to do to transfer
• that the last need to do to transfer that the last thing<00:36:11.760><c> their</c><00:36:11.920><c>
• change the bonafide move exception to change the bonafide move exception to the<00:39:29.119><c> transfer
• </c> the transfer rule. the transfer rule. &gt;&gt; No,<00:39:30.079><c> sir.</c> &gt;&gt; No, sir.

Bills: SB342 , HB379 , HB326 , HB233 , HB388 , SB342 , HB379 , HB326 , HB233 , HB388

Committee: Senate Finance and Taxation Education

Keywords: land bank, land bank authority, local land bank authority, Alabama Land Bank Authority, tax delinquent property, tax sale, tax lien, redemption period, quiet title, blight remediation, vacant property, foreclosure, ad valorem tax, property tax exemption, intergovernmental agreement, county government, municipal government, redevelopment, brownfields, floodplain management

Transcript Highlights:

• Williamson said that in 2023 the Legislature transferred the full general fund amount needed for the
• And so in 2023, the legislature transferred the full general fund amount that would be needed for the
• So in all of those moves, a number of positions were transferred.
• So not new positions, but transferred positions. And so you'll see a decrease in indirect...
• Not new positions, but transferred positions.

Keywords: 989, all

Summary: The committee heard a budget presentation on the Division of Medicaid within the Department of Health and Welfare, including an overview of the division’s five programs, staffing, spending trends, and the large share of the budget that goes to trust and benefit payments. Ms. Williamson explained the difference between ongoing and one-time enhancements, the role of population forecast adjustments, and why the fiscal year 2026 and 2027 numbers change significantly. Members asked about the growth in the budget, the FMAP match rate, the impact of provider rate changes, and the shift of some positions into Medicaid from other divisions after last year’s reorganization. A major topic was House Bill 345 and related budget changes, including the hospital assessment fund alignment, the 4% provider rate reduction, and the effect on Medicaid expansion and other populations. The committee discussed the decline in expansion enrollment, rising costs in traditional Medicaid populations, and the governor’s recommendation to offset part of the 2027 increase with additional reductions. Members raised concerns about access to care, especially for dental, behavioral health, developmental disability, and home- and community-based services, while the deputy director said the department is trying to contain costs through prior authorization, fraud and abuse work, and policy changes. The committee also focused on the MMIS replacement project, which is in year four of a five-year procurement and is funded through dedicated and federal dollars tied to milestones. Another significant item was estate recovery, where the department requested funding to replace an outdated case management system and add contractor support to address a backlog of roughly 20,000 cases; members questioned the return on investment and asked for more detail on the software and staffing split. The deputy director also explained the federally qualified health center reconciliation issue, saying the state had not been properly paying change-in-scope amounts and is now using a new process with interim payments and later reconciliation. In addition, lawmakers asked about program integrity staffing, the use of AI, and whether the department could better target fraud, waste, and abuse investigations. The deputy director said the department is reviewing AI use cautiously and sees opportunities for it in claims review and anomaly detection, but emphasized that the current request is for dedicated receipt authority rather than general funds. No formal votes were taken in the excerpt, but the committee received the presentation, asked extensive questions, and was told that some follow-up information would be provided later.

Transcript Highlights:

• Acequias have the authority to approve and deny water transfers as well. Next slide, please.
• The immediate transfer of water between parties and the Leasing Act helped try to provide that, but I
• think that needs to be looked at again to expedite water transfers when they're absolutely needed, but
• Transfers.
• There's some more detail to the transfers, but I will leave that at that level in the interest of time

Committee: House Water & Natural Resources Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• Most of that is due to an increase in the transfer from GRF. are at a PTRF of 3.5 billion.
• Recommendations also include a 15.8 billion dollar transfer from GR to the PTRF.
• The new voucher program, the new voucher fund, with a GR transfer.
• A LBB transfer, a GR transfer, it has to come through the appropriations committee to be appropriated
• so that we won't see a transfer outside of session, outside of the appropriator's purview.

Committee: House Appropriations - S/C on Article III

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• If there's waste and there's illegality of escalades and security, then deal with that.
• If there's waste and there's illegality of escalades and security, then deal with that.
• There's illegality of escalades and security, then deal with that.

Committee: Senate Appropriations

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:36:28.640><c> It's</c><00:36:28.880><c> illegal.</c> &gt;&gt; Represent Robbins.
• It's illegal. &gt;&gt; Represent Robbins. It's illegal.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• It is not illegal for an adult to send a picture of themselves, uh, to anyone at this point.
• </c><00:57:26.480><c> It</c><00:57:26.720><c> is</c><00:57:26.880><c> not</c><00:57:27.119><c> illegal
• It is not illegal for an adult to send a picture of themselves, uh, to anyone at this point.

Bills: HB0008 , HB0009 , HB0028

Committee: Senate Judiciary

Keywords: stalking, minors, felony, protection orders, criminal penalties, grooming, sexual offenses, child protection, sexual exploitation, law amendment, explicit conduct, sex crimes, 916, all