Transcript Highlights:

• basic supplemental revenue aid.
• It increases the funding for this by adding an additional tier of entirely aid, which is just all aid
• On line 7, consolidation transition aid. This is an ongoing aid increase.
• So, in fiscal year 26, it is not the entire reduction to the school library aid. Aid.
• First, I want to express my heartfelt gratitude for your decision not to cut non-public pupil aid.

Bills: HF1388

Keywords: BARR Center, Building Assets, Reducing Risks, education finance, school funding, grant appropriation, evidence-based program, student achievement, social and emotional learning, school climate, teacher effectiveness, high school graduation, students in poverty, students of color, BIPOC, equity in education, Minnesota Department of Education, urban schools, suburban schools, rural schools, school coaching

Transcript Highlights:

• So I'd like to first bring up the first panel, which is the Middle Class Scholarship update and proposal
• Grant aid.
• between tuition and financial aid, Cal Grant data, and obviously institutional aid.
• this Institutional aid.
• awarded aid.

Summary: The subcommittee on Education Finance heard an overview of the governor’s budget proposals and higher education financial aid trends, with a major focus on the Middle Class Scholarship (MCS), Cal Grant spending, and the effects of recent federal student aid changes. The Department of Finance said the budget would fully fund Cal Grant at projected levels and reduce MCS coverage from 35% to 17.5% of unmet need in 2026-27, while the Legislative Analyst’s Office supported considering the reduction as a cost-saving measure given out-year deficits. UC and CSU representatives opposed the cut, saying MCS is important to affordability and debt-free degree goals; they estimated average awards would fall substantially and that campuses do not have funds to backfill the loss. The Student Aid Commission said the proposal would reduce aid but simplify administration, and members questioned how lower awards would affect students, borrowing, and work-study options. No vote was taken, and the issue was held open for possible future action. The committee then discussed federal changes to student loans and Pell Grant policy under H.R. 1, including caps on Parent PLUS loans, elimination of Grad PLUS loans, and new proration rules for federal direct loans based on enrollment intensity. The LAO said these changes would likely push some borrowers into the private market, especially graduate and professional students and some parents of students at private institutions. CSU said the changes would affect thousands of graduate and part-time students and could reduce access by about $97 million in loan availability for part-time borrowers, while UC said the new definitions of professional degrees were too restrictive and would reduce access for nursing, teaching, law, dentistry, and other programs. Community colleges said they use relatively little federal loan aid but are monitoring Workforce Pell. Members raised concerns about workforce impacts, social mobility, and whether the state should consider alternative loan programs or other ways to reduce student costs. This issue was also held open. In the segment financial aid update, the LAO reported Cal Grant spending is projected to rise to about $3.2 billion in 2026-27, driven by more recipients and higher awards tied to UC and CSU tuition increases, while CSAC said FAFSA and CADAA applications are up significantly year over year. CSU, community colleges, and UC described their aid packaging and rising aid totals, with CSU reporting over $5.5 billion in aid to 381,000 students, community colleges reporting over $4.3 billion to more than 920,000 students, and UC reporting $3.17 billion in grant aid to undergraduates. Members asked about Cal Grant reform, application trends, and long-term outcomes; UC and community colleges pointed to alumni and wage dashboards, and the LAO noted the state’s Cradle to Career data effort. The committee then took public comment, including testimony on library funding and other education-related priorities, and concluded by holding the issues open without formal action.

Transcript Highlights:

• introduce yourself first. introduce yourself first.
• And so, I mean, it was a first-come, first-served thing.
• And so, I mean, it was a first-come, first-served thing.
• /c><00:23:05.679> become<00:23:05.919> a first come first serve it become a first come
• state aid staff would need to state aid state aid staff would need to develop<00:46:03.200> um

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• But first, I'd just like to say that I'm very happy to see compensatory aid funding in this bill as long
• But first, I'd just like to say that I'm very happy to see compensatory aid funding in this bill as long
• aid for a consolidated school district in the first two years of its consolidation.
• The first section in this article has to do with the school lunch aid amounts.
• and the K12 uh on distribution of aid and the K12 uh aid<01:42:33.679> payment aid payment aid

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• All 855 cities are eligible for aid. I should note that that 855 number is for aid payable in 2025.
• This is a general-purpose aid.
• Aid um the aid uh receive any of this Aid um the aid distributes<00:25:52.200> uh<00:25:52.279
• /c> LGA and CPA were first um um first one LGA and CPA were first um um first one into<00:29:23.320><
• One of those was state aids.

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The House Tax Committee met to hear a House Research presentation from Jared Swanson on Minnesota’s property tax system. Before the presentation, the chair announced that the committee would put the governor’s budget on hold until the department could provide the information needed for a proper hearing. The committee then approved the prior meeting minutes without objection. Swanson gave an overview of how property taxes are structured and collected in Minnesota, explaining that the state uses a levy-based system in which local governments set levies and counties collect and distribute payments. He described the property tax cycle, the difference between referendum market value and net tax capacity, and how classification rates shift tax burdens among property types. He also outlined the state general property tax, noting it is split between commercial-industrial property and seasonal recreational property, and reviewed how Minnesota compares with other states, with residential taxes generally around the middle and commercial-industrial taxes relatively higher. The presentation also covered major property tax relief and aid programs. Swanson explained three broad relief mechanisms: shifting burdens through exclusions and classification rates, state-paid credits and refunds, and state aid to local governments or levy reductions. He discussed local government aid (LGA), township aid, and county program aid (CPA), including their funding levels, formulas, and general-purpose nature. Members asked why some cities receive no LGA and how the funds may be used; Swanson said cities with strong tax bases often receive zero aid and that the money generally can be used for the same purposes as property tax revenue. No votes were taken on the presentation itself.

Transcript Highlights:

• This is additional aid of 100 aid.
• Uh this aid.
• c> to<00:41:28.560> literacy<00:41:28.880> aid literacy incentive aid to literacy aid
• must still be paid on the K-12 aid payment schedule. school library aid.
• <01:00:23.839> schedule of the aid and the aid payment schedule of the aid and the aid payment

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• aid, are our general purpose aids to local governments.
• property tax aids. property tax aids.
• So each of county program aid, local government aid, homeless prevention aid, and housing aid is now
• So each of county program aid, local government aid, homeless prevention aid, and housing aid is now
• /c><00:26:06.400> aid, government aid, homeless prevention aid, government aid, homeless prevention

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Florida was the first in the nation to take this innovative approach that provides civil legal aid funding
• Aid for almost 50 years now.
• This is to fund legal aid.
• We have bankers on the legal aid board and the local legal aid board.
• I'm a supporter of legal aid...

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• family education aid, and home visiting aid.
• family education aid, and home visiting aid.
• family education aid, and home visiting aid.
• family education aid, and home visiting aid.
• family education aid, and home visiting aid.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• The current-year appropriation of $1.8 million is the first state appropriation to the First Star program
• So does the program also help with remedial aid and financial aid and the whole thing, the whole gamut
• So does the program also help with remedial aid and financial aid and the whole thing, the whole gamut
• We received our first state appropriation for First Star in the current year, and UC Riverside is in
• And undocumented folks may not be eligible for federal aid, but there is state aid available.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Summary: The Senate Budget Subcommittee on Education heard May Revision proposals covering higher education, including the Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education, the University of California, California Community Colleges, the California Student Aid Commission, UC College of the Law, San Francisco, and trailer bill reporting changes. For the Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education, the administration proposed a one-time $10 million General Fund backfill to repay a special fund loan taken to cover litigation costs, plus provisional language to adjust for a pending legal expense and to repay the loan without interest. The LAO opposed shifting costs to the General Fund and raised legal concerns about an interest-free loan under Proposition 26. Senators asked about whether the $10 million would cover the litigation and about the estimated $245,000 in interest savings. For UC, the May Revision maintained the Governor’s ongoing support and included budget language requiring campuses to grow by 2,968 California undergraduates in 2026-27. UC also sought $1.5 million in one-time General Fund support for the First Star foster youth program. UC described strong outcomes for the UCLA program, while the LAO recommended rejecting the new spending because UC already has overlapping outreach programs, including the Early Academic Outreach Program, and because the need for new state funding was not clear. Senators debated whether the proposal duplicated existing services and discussed the program’s reported college-going and completion rates. The committee also heard a request for $1 million ongoing General Fund for UC College of the Law, San Francisco, to maintain campus safety services; the college described its shared-campus model and public-interest mission, while the LAO noted the college was also raising tuition and that the proposal would maintain, rather than expand, current security spending. The committee then reviewed community college proposals. Finance outlined a larger May Revision package centered on a 4.31% SCFF COLA, enrollment growth funding, categorical COLAs, a one-time Adult Learner Demonstration Project allocation, deferred maintenance, and other ongoing and one-time items. The Chancellor’s Office supported the package but asked for more enrollment growth funding, a higher growth rate, and additional policy changes. The LAO recommended at least funding the statutory 2.87% COLA, then considering whether to redirect remaining funds to enrollment growth, categorical COLAs, or one-time priorities; it recommended rejecting the Adult Learner Demonstration Project. Senators questioned the use of the discretionary COLA to cover paid pregnancy disability leave, the impact on hold harmless and basic aid districts, and whether the state should instead create a separate categorical. The Chancellor’s Office and Finance said the COLA approach was intended to provide flexibility, though Finance said it was open to further discussion about districts that would not receive direct funding. For student aid, Finance described May Revision changes to Cal Grant and the Middle Class Scholarship, including a one-time reduction tied to lower estimated costs and a later true-up, as well as proposals for the Golden State Teacher Grant Program and implementation of the federal Workforce Pell program. CSAC supported the financial aid investments but urged more time and clearer implementation planning for Workforce Pell, noting the need for state approval processes, data linkages, and likely ongoing administrative workload. The LAO recommended rejecting additional Golden State Teacher Grant funding and cautioned that the Workforce Pell trailer bill and one-time funding were premature given the new federal rules and unclear workload. Senators also raised concerns about the Middle Class Scholarship reduction, the need to support students facing higher living costs, and the decline in CADA/DREAM Act applications, with CSAC saying the drop did not reflect reduced need and that outreach should be strengthened. The final item was a set of technical trailer bill changes to shift some UC, CSU, and community college reporting from annual to biennial and consolidate reports; Finance said there were no programmatic changes.

Transcript Highlights:

• Students first complete the FAFSA, which is the Free Application for Federal Student Aid.
• application for federal student aid. application for federal student aid.
• aid.
• And so the lower the student aid aid.
• <00:07:16.479> student<00:07:16.720> aid financial aid um federal student aid financial

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• SB 1494, relating to hearing aids, is first up.
• He says he has copies of those reports if you would like. aids first up Insurance division state aids
• regarding hearing aids first up we have regarding hearing aids first up we have Deputy<00:12:38.160
• Our first hearing aid for my mother, my brother purchased online.
• Our first hearing aid for my mother, my brother purchased online.

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The Health and Human Services Committee heard testimony on several health-related measures, with most of the discussion focused on SB 1419, SB 1494, and SB 1495, which were taken out of order to accommodate ASL/Death Blind Task Force testimony. SB 1419, relating to Act 253 (Session Laws of Hawaii 2023), drew support from the Department of Human Services and the National Federation of the Blind of Hawaii, with testimony emphasizing use of the term “low vision” and support for the program timeline. The committee later recommended passage with amendments, including technical changes and updated appropriation fiscal years, and the motion was adopted unanimously by the members present. SB 1494, concerning hearing aids, drew broad support from disability advocates and others who argued that hearing aids improve health, reduce accidents, and may help reduce dementia risk. Testifiers also urged that the bill define hearing aids as prescription hearing aids rather than including over-the-counter devices, and the Department of the Auditor and Insurance Division raised cost and coverage questions. The committee recommended passage with amendments, changing the coverage approach to optional coverage similar to vision and dental and requesting a sunrise analysis for prescription hearing aids; that recommendation was adopted. SB 1495, which exempts hearing aids from the general excise tax, also received support, while the Attorney General flagged a possible single-subject issue and the Tax Department estimated a potential $1.1 million revenue impact. The committee recommended passage with amendments, including deletion of the challenged language, technical fixes, and noting the revenue estimate; that recommendation was adopted. The committee then moved through additional measures with mostly supportive testimony. SB 1421 on medical records prompted questions about what happens when a solo practitioner dies or closes practice, and the discussion centered on ensuring patients can obtain records, including a proposed amendment requiring a successor provider to send records to the patient’s last known address. SB 1422, dealing with a special fund and vital statistics funding, was supported by the Department of Health, which said the special fund did not meet criteria and that deposits should instead go to the Vital Statistics Improvement Special Fund. SB 1423 on certificate of need exemptions for Department of Health facilities drew support, with discussion of possibly extending exemptions to dialysis and behavioral health/psychiatric services; the Department indicated it would not oppose that change. SB 1424 on credentialing of health care providers also received support, and SB 1425 on the State Emergency Medical Services Committee focused on reducing quorum requirements because many members are active first responders and cannot always attend meetings. The committee also heard support for SB 1426 on emergency medical services, SB 1431 on viral hepatitis, and SB 1433 on harm reduction, with testimony on hepatitis outreach funding and syringe access best practices; for SB 1433, the Department of Health identified a blank in the bill and recommended a six-month period for the syringe-possession exception.

Transcript Highlights:

• for the student support personnel aid for the student support personnel aid for<00:03:52.799>
• keep the grant funding in the first keep the grant funding in the first bienium<00:04:29.440>
• So this is just all aid to school districts, and that is worth 70.975 million in the first biennium and
• On line seven, consolidation transition aid. So this is an ongoing aid increase.
• First, I want to express my heartfelt gratitude for your decision not to cut non-public pupil aid.

Bills: HF1388

Keywords: BARR Center, Building Assets, Reducing Risks, education finance, school funding, grant appropriation, evidence-based program, student achievement, social and emotional learning, school climate, teacher effectiveness, high school graduation, students in poverty, students of color, BIPOC, equity in education, Minnesota Department of Education, urban schools, suburban schools, rural schools, school coaching

Transcript Highlights:

• Most of our bankers are very supportive of legal aid, but we have bankers on the legal aid boards, the
• local legal aid boards.
• You know something, one of the first things you learn in law school is that the First Amendment does
• You know something, one of the first things you learn in law school is that the First Amendment does
• You know something, one of the first things you learn in law school is that the First Amendment does

Summary: The Judiciary Committee met with a quorum present and considered several bills. SB 106 on exploitation of vulnerable adults would allow service of process on scammers through the same nontraditional communication methods they use; it passed 8-0. CS/SB 280 on candidate qualification would create an enforceable party-affiliation requirement and a private right of action to disqualify noncompliant candidates; it passed unanimously. CS/SB 948 on flood disclosures was amended to extend disclosure requirements to residential leases, condo developer leases, and mobile homes, with tenant remedies if disclosures are not provided and flooding causes major losses; it passed 8-0. The committee also advanced CS/SB 498 on IOTA interest rates after a lengthy debate over legal aid funding and bank regulation. Supporters argued the bill would restore sustainability and fairness to the program by setting alternative interest-rate benchmarks, while opponents said it would cut funding for civil legal aid and that banks participate voluntarily. After testimony from legal aid leaders and bankers, the bill passed 7-2. SB 774, requiring clerks to electronically transmit certain mental health, substance abuse, and risk protection orders to sheriffs within six hours, was presented in response to a fatal Volusia County incident and passed 11-0. CS/SB 752 on defamation and online publication was amended to require removal from a website rather than the internet, then passed 8-2 after testimony from the media, a private attorney, and supporters who said it would help people harmed by false online reports. The committee also heard SB 832 on former phosphate mining lands, which would create a narrow defense against strict liability claims if notice and gamma radiation survey requirements are met. The bill was amended to clarify notice provisions and received support from industry and technical witnesses describing radiation surveys and reclamation practices. The transcript cuts off before the final vote on SB 832, so no committee action on that bill is shown in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• So the the first motion however group.
• prevention aid, AIS aid, disparity reduction aid, which, by the way, is based on a calculation from
• reduction<01:05:13.920> aid, aid, AIS aid, disparity reduction aid, aid, AIS aid, disparity
• homeless aid.
• homeless aid.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The first one in the upper left-hand corner on the second line is titled General Fund Aid Appropriation
• But members will first walk through the aid appropriation summary spreadsheet.
• But members will first walk through<01:00:51.040> the<01:00:51.200> aid<01:00:51.680>
• As members likely remember, K-12 education aids are paid for the most part 90% in the first year, and
• aid.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• That means that it is the first financial aid dollar applied to the student's financial aid offer.
• means that it is the First that means that it is the First Financial<00:59:28.119> Aid<00:59:
• The current aid year, which is the first year of the program, that amount was set at 15% of the student's
• The current aid year, which is the first year of the program, that amount was set at 15% of the student's
• program our first year this is our first program our first year this is our first year<01:25:56.280

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• you if you don't mind I think your first you if you don't mind I think your first first<00:20:58.760
• > kind<00:36:44.319> of<00:36:44.480> Aid any kind of Aid any kind of Aid really
• institutional aid or private aid the student might receive.
• financial aid such as institutional Aid financial aid such as institutional Aid or<00:59:57.720>
• I've been working with the State Grant program in financial aid since the, honestly, the first Reagan

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Summary: The committee received an informational presentation from the Minnesota Office of Higher Education on the State Grant program and governor-recommended changes, with some discussion of North Star Promise. Staff explained that State Grant is the state’s largest financial aid program, intended to promote college access and choice for students with the highest financial need, and that it works alongside Pell Grants. They reviewed program eligibility, award calculation, and participation rules, and noted that the program serves a large share of low- and middle-income students, including many dependent students, student parents, BIPOC students, and adult learners. They also described how awards and spending are distributed across public and private institutions and how the agency projects spending using enrollment, tuition, and FAFSA data. A major focus was the current fiscal-year deficit in State Grant. Staff said the program is experiencing a shortfall driven by higher-than-expected enrollment, more students with greater financial need, and major FAFSA formula changes that increased the number of applicants with zero or negative student aid index values. They said the office has already rationed awards where allowed and imposed a FAFSA deadline for spring awards, and does not expect to fund some awards. Officials explained that if the program projects a surplus, they typically adjust the living and miscellaneous expense allowance to spend down funds; if it projects a deficit, they can increase student and family responsibility to reduce award sizes, but the program must stay within its appropriation. Senator Duckworth asked several questions about whether unused funds could be transferred between State Grant and North Star Promise, and how the two programs are treated. Staff said State Grant funds revert to the general fund at the end of the biennium, while North Star Promise uses a special revenue account, and that transfers may be possible but would need clarification under current authority. They referenced a prior legislative transfer from North Star Promise funds to cover a shortfall in the Fostering Independence Grant and said they would follow up on the exact transfer authority. No votes or formal actions were taken during the presentation and discussion.

Transcript Highlights:

• aid that they dip into.
• aid that they dip into.
• aid that they dip into.
• The last new reduction was to aid.
• difference in aid from the general fund. difference in aid from the general fund.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• she gave birth to her first child. she gave birth to her first child.
• First up, we have Megan Flores, who is the manager of state financial aid programs, as well as Nicole
• for federal aid as well as most forms of state aid.
• as most forms of state aid. as most forms of state aid.
• and state aid. the the FAFSA process aid and state aid. the the FAFSA process itself<00:43:44.960>

Keywords: 1187, senate, all