Transcript Highlights:

• </c> for correction to the unit owners. for correction to the unit owners.
• operations, medium farm operations, and certified small farm operations.
• </c> to farms. to farms.
• </c> material transported to the farm. material transported to the farm.
• </c> unit pricing. unit pricing.

Transcript Highlights:

• We moved here in 1991 after farming with our family for 15 years. We bought this farm.
• </c> [snorts] like on a farm. [snorts] like on a farm.
• </c> cereal from the Cascadian Farm brand. cereal from the Cascadian Farm brand.
• </c> cereals in their Cascadian farm brand. cereals in their Cascadian farm brand.
• farm about since uh farm starting this farm about 10<01:50:43.679><c> years</c><01:50:43.840><c> ago

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

Transcript Highlights:

• My farm has been and will be family since 19?
• It disrupts the farming community of other testifiers.
• And you can probably hear that word, farming. That's what this conversation should be about.
• Us farming right next to this project.
• Us farming right next to this project.

Committee: House Legacy Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• Largest port in the United States by tonnage.
• Um, are there mobile units? Yes, sir. Okay.
• They're building the first unit. It's 23 MGD.
• I'm associate director of Texas Farm Bureau.
• I mean, I've been at Farm Bureau for 25 years. years, my entire career at Farm Bureau, we've had problems

Committee: House Natural Resources

Transcript Highlights:

• . units. units.
• The Hawaii Farm Bureau, Hawaii Union United, and Hawaii Sustainable Farms have all testified in support
• The Hawaii Farm Bureau, Hawaii Union United, and Hawaii Sustainable Farms have all testified in support
• The Hawaii Farm<00:51:27.920><c> Bureau,</c><00:51:28.680><c> Hawaii</c> Farm Bureau, Hawaii Farm Bureau
• <c> Sustainable</c><00:51:32.720><c> Farms</c> United, and Hawaii Sustainable Farms United, and Hawaii

Bills: SB3302 , SB2061 , SB2050 , SB2102 , SB2694 , SB2089 , SB847

Committee: House Consumer Protection & Commerce

Summary: The committee on Consumer Protection and Commerce met on April 9, 2026, and heard testimony on several measures. SB 3302 SD1 HD1, dealing with homemade food products, would require the Department of Health to adopt rules for farm kitchens producing homemade food products that are no more stringent than rules for home kitchens. The Department of Health said it supported the bill with technical amendments, and the Hawaii Food Industry Association and Grassroot Institute of Hawaii also supported it. No opposition was heard. A lengthy discussion focused on SB 2061 SD2 HD1, which concerns a 99-year leasehold residential condominium project and HCDA’s rules for sales, income restrictions, and buyback pricing. HCDA supported the bill and said the House draft clarified unclear provisions and would help move the project to pre-sales. Testimony and committee questions centered on whether the project should remain owner-occupied in perpetuity or allow investor purchases after an initial sales period. HCDA explained that the bill was revised to make the project feasible in the market, that 60% of units would be income-restricted for buyers at or below 140% of area median income, and that the remaining units could be sold without owner-occupancy restrictions. Some members and testifiers expressed concern that the bill had shifted away from the original owner-occupancy vision and could become an investment property model, while others argued the changes were necessary for the project to pencil out and compete with fee-simple developments. No vote was taken during the discussion shown. The committee also heard SB 2050 SD1 HD1, which would allow chiropractic students in accredited programs to engage in clinical practice beginning July 1, 2028. The Hawaii Board of Chiropractic and the Hawaii State Chiropractic Association supported the measure, and one testifier described personal experience with student chiropractic care in California. Members questioned why the board requested delaying implementation until 2030, and the board said it needed more time to develop rules because it meets only a few times a year and rulemaking is lengthy. Finally, SB 2102 SD2 HD1, on industrial hemp in commercial feed, was introduced; the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity offered comments, the Department of Health raised concerns about regulating pet food and possible jurisdictional conflict, and a farmer testifying in support suggested narrowing the bill to federally approved livestock feed rather than pet food.

Transcript Highlights:

• The 2026 Farm Bill does the following. The 2026 Farm Bill does the following.
• It protects our working farms and farm operations to make sure those definitions don't unintentionally
• Specifically, the bill excludes farm and farm operations from the definition of commercial use, mixed
• It protects our working for working farms and farm operations to make sure those definitions don't unintentionally
• Specifically, the bill excludes farm and farm operations from the definition of commercial use, mixed

Summary: The Senate convened with an opening prayer, pledge, and a series of gallery introductions recognizing visitors, local officials, students, and public safety personnel. The chamber first took up a report from the Ethics and Elections Committee on 42 executive appointments; after Senator Gaetz explained that the committee had reviewed the appointees’ qualifications and suitability, the Senate adopted the report and confirmed the appointments by a 36-0 vote. The Senate then moved through a long special-order calendar focused largely on open-government sunset reviews and other policy bills. It passed measures to continue or consolidate public records and meeting exemptions for aquaculture records, agency-held trade secrets, and cybersecurity information, with one technical amendment adopted on the cybersecurity bill. The chamber also approved bills extending the statute of limitations for failure to report child abuse, strengthening regulation of commercial driving schools, requiring human trafficking education for nursing graduates, creating a new injunction for protection against serious violence by a known person, and making the related public-records exemption. Additional bills passed included a nature-based coastal resiliency measure with an amendment restricting dredge-and-fill in Terra Ceia Aquatic Preserve, a chiropractic trust-funds bill, specialty license plates, a one-time waiver of late financial disclosure fines, public school personnel compensation changes, the annual Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services “Farm Bill,” homestead exemption clarification for long-term leaseholders, disability-presumption clarifications for first responders, reinsurance intermediary manager changes, patriotic displays in public schools, ADS-B fee restrictions, autism-related law enforcement training and a Blue Envelope program, campus safety policy transparency at public colleges and universities, and veterinary prescription disclosure. Several bills were temporarily postponed, including local vessel restrictions, temporary certificates for practice, and domestic animals. The Senate also debated and passed a bill allowing licensed insurance agents to market health care sharing ministries, despite concerns raised by Senator Polsky about consumer confusion, commissions, and the sale of non-insurance products; supporters argued it restored free speech, religious liberty, and consumer choice. The chamber approved the bill 32-5 after debate. Most other measures passed with strong bipartisan support, often by unanimous or near-unanimous votes, and several companion House bills were substituted in place of Senate bills before final passage.

Transcript Highlights:

• We're a nonprofit community farm.
• We farm on land in Ipswich and Wenham on the North Shore. We're a nonprofit community farm.
• At our farm, our well ran dry.
• farming, and feed our communities.
• This is not cranberry farming, and we are not opposed to cranberry farming.

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources

Summary: The hearing covered a broad set of environmental and water-related bills, with much of the testimony focused on blue economy and circular economy proposals, drought management, drinking water safety, flood resilience, and water infrastructure funding. Supporters of bills such as H. 987 and H. 988 described grant programs for blue economy workforce development, research, small businesses, and public education about a circular economy. Other speakers backed measures on coastal erosion research, recreational boating dredging, cranberry water-right transfers, sand mining oversight, and a voucher program for home water filtration in PFAS-impacted communities. Several elected officials and advocates also urged passage of bills to require private well testing, improve school drinking water safety, and address sand mining pollution and PFAS contamination. Water supply and drought issues drew extensive testimony. Senator Eldridge and others supported legislation to let the state, through DEP and the drought management task force, impose regional water-use restrictions during droughts and make the task force permanent in statute. Advocates from watershed groups, farms, and environmental organizations said the current town-by-town approach is inconsistent and ineffective, and they described drought impacts on rivers, farms, private wells, and wildfire risk. A related bill on private wells was supported as a way to help homeowners test and remediate contaminated wells, especially in rural areas without public water. The committee also heard testimony on a bill to allow the Lynnfield Water District to join the MWRA, with local officials saying the move would help address PFAS and other contamination and improve supply reliability. Another major panel supported a water infrastructure funding bill, arguing that aging drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater systems need major new investment, including support for PFAS treatment, sewer rate relief, biosolids research, and regional interconnections. Members asked about costs, funding sources, and the relationship to existing revolving loan funds; witnesses said the bill would need to be paired with future bond funding and new revenue ideas. No votes were taken during the hearing, and the chairs repeatedly invited written testimony and noted the large number of speakers.

Transcript Highlights:

• in their community and farming practices.
• This is a farm that is on La Mesa, New Mexico.
• She's a farmer and owner of the Colores Farm.
• Which farm a buyer wants to buy from.
• We are able to We are not subsidizing; we are supporting our farming, our historical farming community

Committee: House Water & Natural Resources Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• Extension, well-managed, and innovative farms.
• Farms online program has online courses for you.
• We run a farm apps program that is designed to help support our veterans who want to enter farming careers
• Obviously this is someone who has never been in agriculture, never been farming.
• with military veterans who've been farming for a couple years.

Committee: Senate Agriculture

Summary: The Senate Agriculture Committee met and first took up five bills. It reported S.593 (land used in agricultural production), S.879A (the Garden Protection Act), S.3277 (transfer-on-death beneficiaries for farming implements), and S.4754 (creating an Office of Urban Agriculture). S.1529A, the Carbon Farming Act, was moved to the Finance Committee. The committee briefly discussed S.4754, with Senator Borrello asking about its status and members noting strong support for urban agriculture and food-system resilience; the bill was then reported to Finance by voice vote. The committee then heard from Julie Suarez, Associate Dean for Land Grant Affairs at Cornell CALS, who described Cornell’s role in research, extension, and public service across New York agriculture. She highlighted Cornell’s economic impact, growth in FFA participation including new urban chapters, dairy investment, and the potential of the maple industry, while emphasizing the need for continued agricultural science funding to address climate change, invasive species, and market challenges. She also pointed members to Cornell programs supporting food entrepreneurs, soil health, small farms, veterans entering agriculture, and community integrated pest management. Members asked questions about tick increases, with Suarez attributing them to deer, rodents, climate change, and invasive species, and said Cornell’s community IPM program offers landscaping and prevention guidance. She also explained Cornell’s land-grant and contract-college structure, including its statutory mission and state support. The meeting ended after members expressed interest in further outreach and informational sessions, and the committee adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• know, as, you know, I've had legislation that was going to try to see how we can help small family farms
• Young people are coming back to farming as our innovation is helping to create a brighter future.
• And so when you see that dip in the late '80s and '90s, that was when aquaculture, fish farms, started
• To that end, in terms of the ingredients, but also ingredients that are sourced from farms.
• Go to your local farm. Bring those foods. Put it in your salad bar. Bring other healthy products.

Summary: The Select Committee on Alternative Protein Innovation held its first informational hearing to examine the state of alternative protein research, industry growth, and policy needs in California. The chair framed alternative proteins as meat, dairy, and eggs made from plants, fermentation, or cell cultivation, and emphasized California’s prior $5 million public investment in UC research, the state’s large concentration of alternative protein companies, and plans for future site visits and hearings around the state. The first panel focused on the climate, environmental, food security, and national security rationale for alternative proteins. Representatives from the Good Food Institute and CSIS argued that alternative proteins can reduce greenhouse gas emissions, land and water use, methane, antimicrobial resistance, and supply-chain vulnerabilities tied to conventional animal agriculture. Members asked about pharmaceutical and disease risks in livestock systems, and witnesses said intensification of animal agriculture increases antibiotic use and disease transmission risks. The chair also raised the relationship between alternative proteins and traditional farming, and witnesses described the sector as complementary, with opportunities for California farmers to supply inputs such as nuts, legumes, and commodity crop side streams. The second panel featured industry leaders from Beyond Meat, Upside Foods, and Wildtype. They described plant-based, cultivated meat, and cultivated seafood products, argued that the products can match conventional foods on taste while improving health and environmental outcomes, and said misinformation and labeling battles have hurt public perception. They also discussed scaling challenges, the need for grants, low-interest loans, manufacturing support, and possible participation in cap-and-trade or other revenue-generating programs. The chair highlighted tasting events and efforts to educate legislators and staff, and noted that schools, hospitals, and prisons are important markets for healthier food options. The final panel featured UCLA and UC Santa Cruz researchers who described university-led advances in cultivated fat, publicly available datasets, and workforce development programs supported by state funding. They said the UC system is well positioned to provide foundational research, open-access data, student training, and extension support for farmers. The hearing ended with the chair saying the committee will continue its work through additional hearings, tours, and possible budget or legislative proposals, while acknowledging that the current budget climate makes additional funding uncertain.

Transcript Highlights:

• Uh, many groups testified in favor of this: Minnesota milk producers, farm bureau, farm union, and groups
• Uh, many groups testified in favor of this: Minnesota milk producers, farm bureau, farm union, and groups
• farm farm bureau, farm union and uh farm farm bureau, farm union and uh groups<00:23:07.039><c> that<
• That milk is cartoned right here in Minnesota, produced off of Minnesota dairy farms.
• Uh those are of Minnesota dairy farms.

Transcript Highlights:

• Every Kuckian should have unit.
• One of the things to farms as well.
• </c><00:46:39.359><c> to</c> restaurants and the and the farm to restaurants and the and the farm to
• </c> County, all the major farming County, all the major farming operations,<00:53:44.079><c> our</c>
• </c> it over and farm it into the future. it over and farm it into the future.

Summary: The Budget Review Subcommittee on General Government, Finance, Personnel, and Public Retirement heard presentations from the Secretary of State, the Attorney General’s Office, and the Department of Agriculture. Secretary of State Michael Adams said his office had no major new budget or authority requests, but he updated members on voter-roll maintenance, ongoing litigation over a law preventing voting in multiple states, the Safe at Home program for domestic violence survivors, human trafficking outreach, reduced spending, and new anti-fraud measures for business registrations and electronic service of process. Members then discussed Adams’ remarks, especially his criticism of Kentuckians for the Commonwealth. One senator objected that the organization should not be shut out of the legislative process, citing First Amendment concerns. Adams responded that he was not seeking to ban anyone from speaking, but wanted lawmakers to remember the harm he believes the group’s litigation does to election integrity and bipartisan reform. Representative Jackson praised Adams and his staff for their work. Deputy Attorney General Rob Duncan outlined the office’s work, including criminal prosecutions, civil litigation, body armor grants, administrative hearings, domestic violence and violent crime initiatives, election security, child support services, and the new Office of Data Privacy. He said the child support program transition from CHFS had created budget shortfalls and that the office would seek additional funding next session. In response to questions from Representative Lockett, Duncan said he did not yet have exact cost figures but expected funding needs and noted barriers related to personnel, budgeting, and integration. The committee also heard from Agriculture Commissioner Jonathan Shell, who highlighted the Kentucky Office of Agricultural Policy’s 25th anniversary, the new Office of Economic Development, and the role of Miss Kentucky in promoting agriculture. He said the department would seek recruitment and retention funding, possible staffing for EV station inspections, and continued support to make the agriculture economic development fund permanent.

Transcript Highlights:

• Pratt for crop hauling for the Tucker Unit Farm. 62 is with Division of Correction and Tommy's Flying
• Service for aerial application services for the Tucker Farm. 63, Department of Ed with School-Based
• The vendor is Farm Brother Flyers. It looks like we're extending this for a year.
• Is that a co-located farm with multiple vendors? No, sir.
• Are the farms that much different in size? Yes, sir. Cummins is a lot larger than Tucker's farm.

Committee: All ALC-REVIEW

Summary: The committee met to review a supplemental agenda item, procurement rule revisions, methods of finance, discretionary grants, contracts, reports, and a member disclosure. The supplemental agenda was accepted, and the Office of State Procurement’s rule revisions were approved after Jessica Patterson explained they were driven by 2025 legislative changes, including Act 782, CASO Consulting recommendations, and updates to sole source, bid, protest, and debarment provisions. The methods of finance and discretionary grants were also approved, covering a range of university capital projects, health and human services grants, historic preservation awards, and tobacco prevention and cessation programs. The committee then reviewed RFQs and six ratifications. The ratifications included a Workforce Connections payment to ACT WorkKeys for services provided during a contract gap, a Department of Health ratification for water-leak repairs, a large Department of Public Safety ratification for Motorola’s Arkansas Wireless Information Network upgrade, a Veterans Affairs HVAC ratification, an ADFA medical services ratification, and a UA Little Rock painting contract ratification. Members questioned the Public Safety ratification at length about why the expired Motorola contract was not caught sooner and why it took months after discovery to come forward; agency officials said the work was tied to bond funding and was not tracked in ASIS, and the chair urged agencies to develop better monitoring procedures. The committee approved a large slate of construction, intergovernmental, out-of-state, and in-state contracts, including many recurring service agreements for DHS, higher education institutions, corrections, health agencies, and state support functions. Several members asked about specific contracts, including aerial application services for correctional farms and a Southern Arkansas University custodial contract, and staff or agency representatives provided brief explanations. The meeting concluded with review of reports and approval of a member disclosure involving Representative Andrew Collins’ investment interest in a company leasing property to Arkansas Rehabilitation Services.

Transcript Highlights:

• c> that the least profitable farms spend 15 that the least profitable farms spend 15 to<00:18:53.080>
• </c> the most profitable farms. the most profitable farms. 2023<00:18:58.440><c> financial</c><00:18:
• I I purchased item in my farm.
• </c> the well owners in cities or on farms. the well owners in cities or on farms.
• . unit. unit.

Committee: Senate Environment, Climate, and Legacy

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> government units. government units.
• </c> herd and to monitor um survey farms. herd and to monitor um survey farms.
• As we know, no two farms, no two farming operations are alike.
• So it was critically farm work.
• ><c> no</c><00:58:40.640><c> two</c><00:58:40.880><c> farming</c> know, no two farms, no two farming

Committee: House Environment and Natural Resources Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• urging the New Hampshire Congressional Delegation to sponsor legislation relative to and urging the United
• </c> Joyce Brady from New Hampshire Farm Joyce Brady from New Hampshire Farm Bureau<00:11:31.320><c>
• That was a suggestion by Farm Bureau leader Joyce Brady to include small slaughter plants.
• The Farm Fresh Rhode Island—I think it's called the Food Hub—right downtown Providence.
• And so they asked, do you know any state that has a right-to-farm bill?

Summary: The committee opened a hearing on HR 18, a resolution urging New Hampshire’s congressional delegation to seek federal changes that would let very small slaughter plants use custom-exempt inspection criteria with a third-party inspector present, so beef, pork, lamb, and goat could be sold as individual cuts directly to consumers. Representative Judy Aron said the resolution was drafted in lieu of state legislation because the issue is governed by USDA rules, and she noted she was also working on an amendment to ensure the measure covered federal “very small” plants. Representative Miner asked for clarification about custom slaughter versus retail sales, and Representative Scully supported the resolution while suggesting language to make clear it applied only to local end consumers. Joyce Brady of the New Hampshire Farm Bureau testified in support, saying the state’s four USDA slaughterhouses and the bottleneck in custom cutting made the issue important. After no further testimony, the chair closed the hearing. The committee then moved into a work session on several bills. For HB 616, members discussed an amendment that had been revised after public comments and Commissioner Jasper’s feedback; Representative Guber said it balanced the competing positions, and Representative Penza and Representative Ger said the language now addressed concerns about animal suffering by allowing euthanasia if a treating veterinarian determines the animal is in extreme suffering. The committee then discussed HB 77, with Representative Penza describing changes to landfill-related standards, including replacing aquifer references with drinking water wells, removing a penalty section, changing discretionary language to mandatory language for the department, and adjusting an in situ soils standard. Members praised the compromise, though Representative Scully raised concerns about the 1,500-foot setback and suggested engineering controls such as berms; Penza responded that current rules do not include such controls and that the setback was intended to address surface spills. Several members said the bill reflected a hard-fought balance and should not be rewritten at the last minute. For HB 505, the freeze-dried food bill, Representative Aron explained that the amendment replaced a simple exemption with a requirement that homestead food operations selling freeze-dried foods from a farm stand, farmers market, or retail food store obtain a homestead food license under RSA 143-A:4. She said the amendment defines freeze-dried foods as fruits, vegetables, and commercially prepared dairy products, and delays the effective date 120 days to allow rulemaking. Members generally supported the approach as a light-touch oversight mechanism for potentially hazardous foods, though Representative Ktoa asked for clarification about how the amendment interacts with existing licensing and inspection exemptions, and Aron clarified that these products would not be exempt from licensing under the relevant law. The committee then turned to HB 250, concerning local authority over dog muzzling, where members broadly supported the amendment as a simple solution, while Representative Ktoa asked about the underlying definition of a vicious dog and whether all listed behaviors would warrant muzzling. The discussion noted that the amendment would allow towns to require muzzling for dogs meeting the statutory definition, while excluding hunting, working, herding, and similar dogs.

Transcript Highlights:

• I cannot call them solar farms because they are not a farm.
• And at 1,403 acres, that solar farm itself is a 200-megawatt farm.
• It's not farm. It's no longer in ag production.
• It's not the case for every single farm.
• That farm is a legacy to my family.

Committee: House Utilities

Summary: The committee first took up House Bill 2383, Representative Simmons’s bill addressing theft of copper and other infrastructure-related property. After a brief executive session and no further discussion, the committee voted the bill do pass by a roll call of 17 ayes, 1 no, and 1 present. The committee then heard House Bill 2711, sponsored by Representative Deal, which would lower the assessed valuation of broadband communications equipment from 33.5% to 12% for new broadband equipment placed in service after August 28, 2026, with a proposed sunset period discussed as part of a substitute. Representative Deal and several industry witnesses, including AT&T, Verizon, Missouri Cable Association, Missouri Broadband Providers Association, Missouri Chamber, and electric co-ops, argued the measure would improve Missouri’s competitiveness, encourage private investment, and help expand broadband in rural and underserved areas. Opponents, including county assessors, argued the bill would reduce local tax revenue, create unequal treatment, and could become a precedent for other industries. Committee members questioned whether the bill would apply only to new builds or also to upgrades and existing infrastructure, and whether the tax relief would actually drive expansion into rural areas. The committee then began hearing House Bills 2402 and 2816, which deal with solar energy siting and taxation. The sponsors described the bills as setting local assessment rules for solar projects, establishing a per-megawatt valuation, requiring larger setbacks from homes, schools, and churches, and limiting the amount of tillable land that can be used for solar in a county, while also addressing Chapter 100 agreements and decommissioning concerns. Supporters, including Missouri Farm Bureau and county officials, said the bills would provide needed guardrails, local control, and more consistent taxation. Opponents and affected landowners said existing solar projects have caused glare, dust, noise, and property value concerns, while some developers said they wanted clearer statewide rules and consistency for future projects. The committee did not take final action on the solar bills before going into recess.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:37:13.440><c> we've</c> dairy farms and pork farms and we've dairy farms and pork farms and we've
• It can be a very small farm; it can be a very large farm.
• It can be a very small farm; it can be a very large farm.
• It can be a very small farm; it can be a very large farm.
• It can be a very small farm; it can be a very large farm.

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

Transcript Highlights:

• Likely, you're going to move spacing unit by spacing unit, figure out how to consolidate.
• Going to move spacing unit by spacing unit, figure out how to consolidate, because you've got to get
• then selling them back, saving farms, right?
• then selling them back, saving farms, right?
• Our record $500 million farm financial stability loan program put us over the top on that.

Summary: The committee took roll, approved the March 18 minutes, and then received a compliance-report update on the Industrial Commission and related funds and programs. Staff reviewed the status of one-time appropriations and grant programs, including electric grid resiliency, lignite research, enhanced oil recovery, the Clean Sustainable Energy Authority, the salt cavern business-case study, and the new NDSU research and technology park grant. Members asked about funding balances, reimbursement timing, matching requirements, and how some commitments would affect the State Investment Fund and future biennia. Industrial Commission staff then gave a broader update on the agency’s administrative office, grant management system, leadership transitions at several commission agencies, and active grant rounds. They reported that the grant management system is nearing completion, that several agency leadership searches have concluded, and that the commission’s grant programs currently have 108 active grants totaling more than $165 million. They also described the Clean Sustainable Energy Authority round, the oil and gas research program’s enhanced oil recovery awards, the grid resiliency grants, the salt cavern study, and the research technology park program, noting that some projects are awaiting federal funds or additional matching cash. Ron Ness, speaking for the Oil and Gas Research Council, focused on the state of the oil industry and the enhanced oil recovery “Bakken 2.0” effort. He said production remains steady, but future growth depends on better infrastructure, longer laterals, and new EOR methods such as CO2, natural gas, and surfactants. He emphasized the importance of the Bakkeneast pipeline and related gas-utilization projects, the recent DOE funding that will return some money to the research council, and the need to modernize tax and incentive rules for CO2-based recovery. Members discussed the potential economic benefits for oil, agriculture, and manufacturing. The Bank of North Dakota then presented its compliance report and a broader strategic update. Bank leadership reviewed the bank’s mission, governance, participation lending, student lending, disaster programs, and legislatively directed programs, and said the bank is managing for a flatter deposit base and stronger liquidity because of fintech competition and changing market conditions. They reported improved earnings, with net income rising to about $231 million, and described Rough Rider Coin as a new internal payment rail for North Dakota banks and credit unions, not a public cryptocurrency. Members asked about student loan eligibility, disaster lending, and the bank’s capacity to support state programs while maintaining its balance-sheet and liquidity requirements.

Transcript Highlights:

• I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands
• Miguel and his team provided free meals for farm workers, seniors, and frontline workers.
• She was born on February 11th, 1924 on her family's farm in the Rio Grande Valley, south of Albuquerque
• She and her siblings worked hard on the family farm, and the family grew the food that sustained.
• And that work ethic and drive eventually led him to the United States Navy where he served the country