Transcript Highlights:

• I don't mean to interrupt you, but you have two minutes. Okay, thank you. Safety.
• OK, I'm sorry to interrupt you. You may proceed.

Bills: HB153 , HB1410 , HB1461 , HB1760 , HB1762 , HB3261 , HB3773 , HB153

Committee: House Corrections

Keywords: education, funding, student resources, technology access, equal opportunity, veterans treatment court, mental health, criminal justice, rehabilitation, eligibility criteria, veterans, treatment court, military service, legislation, private prisons, inmate confinement, criminal justice reform, Texas Department of Criminal Justice, government contracts, inmate housing

Transcript Highlights:

• This extension will ensure we have no payroll interruptions while our new accounting system, POM, is
• He is risking an interruption of our state payroll next year if he doesn't act, and that is highly unacceptable

Summary: The State Administration Budget Subcommittee met for budget day, heard agency follow-up questions, and then presented its recommended budget for fiscal year 2025-2026. Chair Lopez opened with remarks about reducing spending, emphasizing vacancy reductions and recurring savings across agencies. The recommendation eliminated 452.5 vacant positions and produced recurring savings of $57.2 million overall, while still funding selected priorities. Notable funded items included $500,000 for a new DBPR website for condominium complaints and document filing, $481.3 million for the MICEF Florida Home Program in DFS, funding for Florida PALM implementation, $330,000 for a Tampa office in the Office of Insurance Regulation, $835,000 for warehouse space for confiscated gambling machines, $821,000 for the Lottery gaming system contract, and major DMS capital and facilities funding. Lopez also criticized DMS leadership and said the secretary’s salary would be held in reserve pending answers on fleet management, remote workers, SUNCOM billing, and other issues. The committee then questioned DBPR Secretary Griffin about condominium records, structural integrity reserve studies, and milestone-inspection compliance. Members focused on how the division tracks condominiums, whether it can identify buildings with three habitable stories, and whether the current filing system can be improved to better capture building height and story count. Griffin said the division relies heavily on self-reporting and complaint-driven checks, but has updated forms to capture whether a condominium has buildings three stories or higher and has received additional submissions. Members also asked about staffing and the Miami-area office; Griffin said DBPR now has two Fort Lauderdale offices and a Doral office, with about 82% of new positions filled. Secretary Davis of the Florida Lottery also testified, defending travel to Paris and other conferences as part of industry engagement, technology research, and best-practice sharing. He said the travel was reimbursed through lottery-related organizations, described the Lottery as an enterprise fund that receives no general tax revenue, and said the agency has remained a top revenue generator nationally. Members questioned Orlando travel reimbursements and dues to the Multi-State Lottery Association, and asked for more information on how increased revenue translates into more Bright Futures scholarships. Davis said he would provide additional details. The subcommittee then unanimously passed two conforming bills. PCB SAB 25-01 removed statutory references to the legacy FLAIR accounting system in preparation for Florida PALM and was reported favorably. PCB SAB 25-02 addressed Capitol Center space after the planned House lease cancellation, declaring the governor, cabinet, and legislature permanent tenants, protecting existing space and parking allocations, giving the legislature first right of refusal on vacant space, and giving legislative leaders control over utilities in their space; it also passed unanimously. The meeting adjourned after the bills were reported favorably.

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm going to interrupt.
• I'm going to interrupt real quick just to add: while we don't know the timing of the federal review,

Summary: The committee held an informational hearing on transportation agency budget proposals and did not take any votes. The first major discussion focused on the Motor Vehicle Account shortfall and a proposed one-time $166 million transfer from the Air Pollution Control Fund and Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund to offset California Air Resources Board mobile source costs. Department of Finance and the LAO described the account’s long-running structural deficit, driven largely by employee compensation growth and REAL ID-related workload, while members criticized the use of Proposition 4, GGRF, and other one-time or redirected funds as backfills and urged a longer-term solution that addresses both revenues and expenditures. The committee then heard Caltrans’ request for $25 million in General Fund support to create a Clean California Community Cleanup and Employment Pathway Grant Program. Caltrans said the program would build on the prior Clean California effort by funding local litter and graffiti cleanup, community engagement, and workforce pathways for vulnerable populations. The LAO recommended rejecting the proposal, arguing that local litter abatement is not a core state responsibility and that one-time funding is unlikely to solve persistent local cleanup needs. Several members echoed those concerns, while public commenters split between support for the cleanup/employment model and calls to instead restore funding to the Active Transportation Program and transit operations. The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency requested that California administratively recognize Tahoe’s federally designated population figure for state formula-based transportation funding, which would raise the population count used in formulas from 40,000 to 145,000. The agency said the change would not request new money but would better align state formulas with federal law and support a shared regional funding framework; members appeared generally supportive, though they noted the need to phase in the change to reduce impacts on other regions. The final presentation was on High-Speed Rail. The LAO reviewed the authority’s project update report, noting that it did not fully meet statutory requirements and that key details are still pending in a supplemental report expected later in the summer. The LAO said the Merced-to-Bakersfield segment still shows an estimated roughly $7 billion funding gap, with no specific plan to close it, and highlighted risks from federal review, inflation, and uncertain GGRF revenues. High-Speed Rail Authority staff said they are conducting a bottom-up review of scope, schedule, ridership, and costs, expect to provide updated information by late summer, and are exploring public-private partnerships and other financing strategies. Members stressed that no further funding commitments should be made until the updated analysis is available.

Transcript Highlights:

• At some point, I don't mean to interrupt you, but can I give you and the committee some perspective from
• I apologize to interrupt, but I just feel compelled to. Let me add one thing, though.

Bills: SB2037 , SB1757 , SB1758 , SB1759 , HB29

Committee: Senate Natural Resources

Transcript Highlights:

• Any type of interruptions, any attempt to communicate from the audience verbally or otherwise will be
• Excuse me for interrupting, but isn't it true that Canada has one of the lowest tariff regimes of any

Committee: Senate Foreign Relations Committee

Keywords: U.S. foreign policy, Mexico relations, Japan relations, border security, trade agreements, drug trafficking, ambassadorial nominations, intergovernmental communication

Summary: The meeting of the committee focused on critical discussions concerning U.S. foreign policy, particularly relationships with Mexico and Japan. Notable attention was given to border security, trade agreements, and implications of drug trafficking. Ambassadorial nominees discussed their strategies to strengthen ties with these nations, emphasizing the importance of cooperation in addressing mutual challenges, particularly concerning security and trade. The committee engaged in extensive dialogue, highlighting the urgency of improving intergovernmental communications to deter drug trafficking and support democratic governance.

Transcript Highlights:

• the self optimizing great savings that we had back then 7 years ago, 5 million, the minutes of interruption
• Milton Halloween, we say feet over 300 million minutes of interruption.

Transcript Highlights:

• just want to make sure, because I think it's better, and I gave you grace because of COVID and interruptions
• Okay, I just wanted to make that, I didn't want to interrupt, it's just, it is a very important discussion

Bills: SB 1 , SB1

Committee: Senate Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• financial losses, including temporary housing expenses, lost wages, transportation costs, business interruptions

Committee: House Revenue and Taxation

Summary: The Assembly Revenue and Taxation Committee met to consider three Senate-amended bills. AB 672 would extend an existing property tax exemption for community land trust projects that develop or rehabilitate low-income housing. The author and sponsor said the measure helps preserve and create permanently affordable housing, noted the exemption has supported 101 units at a relatively low state cost, and argued it is essential for project feasibility. No opposition was presented, and the committee recommended concurrence in the Senate amendments on a 5-0 vote, later completed as 6-0 with an absent member’s vote. AB 760 would exclude certain settlement payments from California taxable income for residents and businesses affected by the Garden Grove chemical incident that displaced more than 50,000 people. Supporters, including the Orange County Board of Supervisors, said the bill would preserve compensation intended to help with housing, lost wages, business interruption, and other recovery costs, and that taxing the payments would undermine relief. The measure had no opposition in the hearing and passed the committee 6-0, with a later vote from an absent member recorded in support. AB 1519 would clarify the state’s 20-year statute of limitations for Franchise Tax Board collection actions by preventing fees, penalties, or interest from restarting the clock. The author said the bill would create a true limitations period and not materially affect revenue, while supporters from the California Society of Enrolled Agents and the California Society of CPAs said it would provide certainty and resolve ambiguity for taxpayers and practitioners. There was no opposition, and the committee recommended concurrence in the Senate amendments on a 6-0 vote, later finalized with the absent member’s aye vote.

Transcript Highlights:

• And so as I'm Speaking, he interrupts me and he says, 'Is that Ronnie with an i e?'

Bills: HB4139 , HB4143 , HB4144 , HB3974 , HB3303 , HB3790 , HB3697 , HB3262 , HB4226 , HB2936 , HB3322 , HB4296 , HB3278 , HB4202 , HB3648 , HB3500 , HB3037 , HB3428 , HB3257 , HB3432 , HB3043 , HB3044 , HB3078 , HB3940

Keywords: home warranty, service contracts, transparency, insurance regulation, consumer protection, motor vehicles, traffic collisions, car accident, auto accident, crash report, collision report, property damage threshold, Department of Public Safety, DPS, law enforcement reports, insurance claims, financial responsibility, uninsured motorist, private property accidents, public roadway

Transcript Highlights:

• Uh, it is not standard protocol for us to interrupt someone while they are doing their closing remarks
• Uh, it is not standard protocol for us to interrupt someone while they are doing their closing remarks
• > us</c><01:02:02.360><c> to</c> not standard protocol for us to not standard protocol for us to interrupt
• :03.840><c> while</c><01:02:04.080><c> they</c><01:02:04.320><c> are</c><01:02:05.120><c> uh</c> interrupt
• someone while they are uh interrupt someone while they are uh doing<01:02:06.000><c> their</c><01:02

Bills: HF3643 , HF4470 , HF4462 , HF4366 , HF4172 , HF3629 , HF4356 , HF3093

Committee: House State Government Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• So if interruption, if that damage, if that's stealing, or whatever they did in terms of the critical
• infrastructure facility, if it caused interruption or impairment or degradation of service, it raised
• Or like I'm saying to the gentleman from the Taylor District, if it's interrupted of service and damage
• Gentleman from Randolph, please did not interrupt the line of debate. I warned you. He may proceed.
• I’m sorry, but that’s what y’all say to me when I try to interrupt, so go right ahead, sir.

Transcript Highlights:

• So if interruption, if that damage, if that's stealing, or whatever they did in terms of the critical
• infrastructure facility, if it caused interruption or impairment or degradation of service, it rises
• Or like I was saying to the gentleman from the Taylor District, if it’s interrupted of service and damage
• But that's what y'all say to me when I try to interrupt. So go right ahead.
• But that's what y'all say to me when I try to interrupt. So go right ahead, sir. I appreciate it.

Summary: The House convened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, approval of the House Journal by a 121-0 vote, and a brief suspension of business for the Speaker to sign HB 2014. Members also observed a moment of silence for Butler County Fire Protection District Sergeant Commander Jatin Warren, who died in the line of duty, and the chamber introduced several guest groups, including Missouri Council on Aging representatives and county clerks. A resolution was also presented honoring former state representative K. H. Steinmetz for her 18 years of service in the Missouri House. The House then received committee reports recommending passage of HB 2934, HB 1800, and HB 1707. On third reading, HB 2974 passed 136-0 on telehealth and licensure reciprocity; HB 2934 passed 121-24 on consolidating St. Louis convention center governance; HB 2057 passed 137-10 on entertainment districts for Osage Beach and Chesterfield; the combined HB 1839/2921/3015 passed 120-19 on age verification for harmful online content; HB 1707 passed 149-0 to bar the Department of Revenue from taxing credit card processing fees; HB 2819 passed 145-0 to set rounding rules as the penny is phased out; and HB 2600 passed 148-0 to allow ambulance districts to combine resources for coverage. HB 1800, which reduces the inflationary growth factor for certain taxing districts from 5% to 3% and adjusts assessment ranges, drew the most extended debate over its effect on schools, fire districts, and taxpayers; it ultimately passed 82-61. Members also perfected HB 2774, which bars state and local governments from restricting equipment sales or use based on fuel source, and HB 2383, a utility infrastructure protection bill adding wired/copper infrastructure to existing critical infrastructure protections and setting penalties for theft or damage; HB 2383 was amended to align with the Senate version and then perfected. Finally, the House began debate on a combined bill package including HB 1664, 1610, 1645, and 2182, which would extend the statute of limitations for child sexual abuse civil claims while also shortening the general personal injury statute of limitations from five years to three; the child sexual abuse provisions drew broad support, while the tort-reform portion prompted sharp disagreement over access to justice versus business certainty.

Transcript Highlights:

• Most have experienced too little system contact their entire lives, as government has failed to interrupt
• Most have experienced too little system contact their entire lives as government has failed to interrupt
• Interrupting that cycle of violence is critical. So please vote no. Thank you. Thank you.
• Sorry for the interruption. Peter, go right ahead. Thank you, Mr. Chair, members of the committee.
• Substitute House Bill 2439 takes meaningful steps to interrupt that cycle.

Summary: The committee heard public hearings on several bills. HB 2675 would eliminate a number of state accounts and transfer remaining balances from two accounts to the general fund, while also changing how revenues in the Salary Insurance Contribution Increase Revolving Account are deposited; OFM testified in support and there was no public opposition. SHB 1903 would create a statewide low-income energy assistance program through the Department of Commerce, funded by the general fund and Climate Commitment Act revenues; supporters said it would address Washington’s underfunded and uneven energy assistance system, while utilities and rural co-ops raised concerns about cost, reporting burdens, utility authority, and implementation details. SHB 2384 would require actuarial reviews for certain continuing care retirement communities with prepaid life care contracts; residents and consumer advocates supported the added transparency, while providers opposed the added review costs and said they already pay for actuarial work. SHB 1982 would expand the ability of tribal members to vacate convictions tied to treaty rights, add OPD representation and a tribal liaison position, and then an amendment was described that would remove the liaison position and eliminate the fiscal impact; the sponsor and OPD supported the bill, and testimony emphasized correcting past treaty-rights convictions. The committee also heard SHB 2389, a broad juvenile justice bill that would expand suspended disposition options, create midpoint review hearings, reduce some robbery ranges, and address juvenile rehabilitation capacity and transfers. Supporters argued it would reduce racial disparities, favor community-based rehabilitation when safe, and improve outcomes, while prosecutors, sheriffs, counties, judges, cities, victim advocates, and some tribal law enforcement warned it would weaken accountability for serious violent offenses, increase court and local government burdens, and shift costs without funding. Several witnesses and the bill sponsor discussed proposed amendments, including removing presumptions and the mid-sentence review. The committee then heard SHB 2439, which would raise tobacco and vapor product license fees, create a responsible vendor program, add manufacturer certification and enforcement provisions, restrict certain products and sales practices, and redirect tobacco tax revenue to public health, cancer research, and youth prevention accounts; public health and prevention groups supported it, while retailers and industry representatives opposed the fee increases and some of the new restrictions. Finally, HB 2681 would sharply increase cannabis license fees and index them to inflation; OFM supported the change as aligning fees with program costs, while cannabis businesses and associations opposed or sought changes to the fee structure and CPI indexing. The committee also heard a briefing on SHB 2215, which would require the Caseload Forecast Council to forecast SNAP and state food assistance caseloads in light of upcoming federal cost-sharing changes; no questions were raised at the briefing.

Transcript Highlights:

• The bill allows trained midwives to remain with their patients during transfer, so care is not interrupted
• I didn't need to interrupt you. Oh, no, go ahead. Thank you, Madam Chair. I just had a Yes.
• I just want to interrupt for a minute because you're on point to point out there's a website.
• That I shouldn't be interrupted. I'm making a legitimate point.
• That I shouldn't be interrupted. I'm making a legitimate point.

Committee: House House Health & Human Services Committee of Reference

Summary: The committee began with a presentation from the Alzheimer’s Association Desert Southwest Chapter and Dr. Anna Burke of Barrow Neurological Institute on the growing impact of Alzheimer’s and dementia in Arizona, the need for earlier diagnosis, better provider education, caregiver support, and continued research funding. They described current gaps in training and access to specialists, but also highlighted new therapies, lifestyle interventions, and Arizona-based research efforts. Members expressed support and optimism, but no action was taken on the presentation. The committee then heard HB 2202, which appropriates $300,000 from the general fund over fiscal years 2027 through 2029 for a dementia care tele-mentoring grant program through the Department of Health Services. Supporters, including the Alzheimer’s Association, a dementia specialist, and a patient advocate, said the program would help primary care providers diagnose dementia earlier and improve care. The bill was passed out of committee on an 11-0 vote. Next, the committee took up HB 2251, the midwifery bill, which would authorize certain licensed midwives to dispense and administer specified medications and devices, require liability insurance disclosure and annual reporting, and create a Midwifery Advisory Committee. A committee amendment removed some medications and renamed the bill the Jordan and MacTerry Act. ACOG and the Arizona Osteopathic Medical Association opposed the bill as drafted, citing concerns about oversight, peer review, and the medication list, while licensed midwives and other supporters argued the bill would improve safety, transparency, and alignment with national standards. The bill was held for further stakeholder work, with members indicating more amendments were likely. The committee then heard HB 2252, which would allow certified nurse midwives, certified professional midwives, or licensed midwives to accompany a patient in a ground ambulance during an out-of-hospital birth if approved by medical direction. Supporters described cases where continued midwife involvement during transport helped newborns and mothers, while firefighters and EMS representatives opposed the bill as written, saying it created ambiguity about command and scene control and could raise safety concerns. The chair said the bill would be held for further stakeholder meetings and possible language changes. After a recess, the committee reconvened for presentations on federal Medicaid and rural health funding impacts, beginning with JLBC’s overview of H.R. 1’s Medicaid provisions and the rural health transformation grant program.

Transcript Highlights:

• section the Senate put in to ensure that services to the current clients residing there are not interrupted
• section the Senate put in to ensure that services to the current clients residing there are not interrupted
• current clients residing there<01:24:18.080><c> are</c><01:24:18.320><c> not</c><01:24:18.560><c> interrupted
• </c><01:24:19.679><c> And</c><01:24:19.920><c> then</c><01:24:20.080><c> the</c> there are not interrupted
• And then the there are not interrupted.

Summary: The Legislative Budget Assistant staff presented an overview of the Senate changes to the House-passed budget, focusing on revenue estimates, appropriations, and ending balances across the general fund and education trust fund. The presentation emphasized that the Senate’s budget reflected higher revenue assumptions than the House, driven in part by updated April revenue figures, changes to business, tobacco, and real estate transfer tax splits, and different assumptions about video lottery terminal revenue. The Senate also adjusted lapse estimates upward, especially for HHS, after receiving updated information that lapses could be much larger than originally assumed. The presenter walked through the major differences in the surplus statements for fiscal years 2025 through 2027. Compared with the House, the Senate budget generally showed higher revenues, lower or different appropriations in some areas, and larger balances carried forward, including a larger education trust fund balance and a different rainy day fund transfer. The Senate’s approach also changed several policy assumptions, such as maintaining liquor revenue dedication, removing the House’s meals-and-rooms distribution cap, changing the treatment of unique revenue, and altering the process for meeting a targeted revenue amount by giving the governor more flexibility. On the appropriations side, the Senate removed or modified several House reductions and added funding or adjustments in areas including the judicial branch, corrections, HHS, the Human Rights Commission, and certain settlement costs. The presenter also highlighted Senate changes in House Bill 2 and related budget provisions, including a new arts tax credit, a nursing home bed fee, changes to Medicaid premium assumptions, and differences in how motor vehicle inspection repeal and BLT-related revenue are handled. No votes were taken in the portion shown; the discussion was informational and comparative, aimed at explaining the Senate budget changes before conference committee negotiations.

Transcript Highlights:

• Which... and I don't mean to interrupt, I'm sorry. I guess I am interrupting. I don't mean...
• Let me interrupt. First of all, Senator Kolkhorst's bill is great.
• I gave you an extra 15 seconds because I interrupted you, so make sure and share them with...
• I didn't mean to interrupt. We do have APRNs on staff that are...

Bills: SB1888 , SB3003 , SB2417 , SB2459 , SB3055 , HB1393 , HB2884 , SB2943

Committee: Senate State Affairs

Transcript Highlights:

• said his question was very much in line with where the discussion was going, and that they had interrupted
• Though, um, oh, is that—I'm sorry, I'm sorry to interrupt.
• though um oh is that I'm sorry I'm sorry though um oh is that I'm sorry I'm sorry to<00:22:50.440><c> interrupt
• 51.559><c> have</c><00:22:51.760><c> him</c><00:22:52.159><c> even</c><00:22:52.400><c> if</c> “To interrupt
• I’m fine with that, and you—sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt you. Continue.”

Summary: The working session focused on the New Hampshire Prescription Drug Affordability Board’s budget request and its recent work. Early discussion centered on a technical question about a statutory dedicated fund for donations: members asked why the budget did not show a line item for accepting donations, and DHHS CFO Nathan White explained that the statute already authorizes the fund, but because no revenue has been received yet, it does not appear in the budget. He said any future donations would go through the normal process under RSA 14:30-a, with fiscal committee and Governor and Council approval and a memo to the Department of Revenue Administration. The chair clarified that the account was not a prerequisite to soliciting donations, and White said the fund would supplement, not replace, General Fund support. Kirk Williamson, the board’s executive director, then presented the board’s mission and budget. He said the governor’s budget provides about $256,500 in the first year and slightly more in the second, all General Funds, and that the board had distributed a technical amendment to continue the executive director position. He described the board’s role as analyzing prescription drug costs, identifying savings opportunities, monitoring market trends, promoting transparency, and making recommendations to the legislature and public payers. He also emphasized that the board operates publicly, with live-streamed meetings and a stakeholder advisory council that includes unions, state agencies, Medicaid, corrections, higher education, and other stakeholders. A major topic was the board’s estimate of $6 million in potential savings, based on Medicare’s newly negotiated prices for 10 drugs. Williamson explained that the board used those federal negotiated prices as a benchmark to estimate what New Hampshire public payers might be missing by not having similar leverage, and said the board is trying to build evidence for future recommendations rather than directly setting prices. Members asked how those potential savings could become actual savings, and Williamson said the board is sharing findings through its advisory council and feedback loops, though it has not yet sent a formal recommendation letter to specific purchasers. He also discussed the difference between pharmacy-benefit spending, which relies heavily on PBM-negotiated rebates, and medical-benefit spending, which is administered differently and is being added to the board’s next report. Williamson highlighted other work, including a model on Humira and a pending legislative effort to improve biosimilar competition, plus a proposed state-backed pharmacy savings card that would be no cost to the state and could save users about $240 per prescription based on Connecticut’s experience. No votes were taken during the session.

Transcript Highlights:

• Senator West, may I interrupt one minute?
• Senator West, may I interrupt one minute?
• Okay, we'll may interrupt you, and we'll stop the clock, but all right. Mr. Enloe.
• Let me interrupt one second. Today, there are 1.2 million children using choice programs.
• Let me interrupt for one second.

Bills: SB 2

Committees: Senate Education K-16 , Senate Education

Transcript Highlights:

• We have—sorry for the interruption.
• We have—sorry for the interruption.
• We have—sorry for the interruption.
• We have—sorry for the interruption.
• We have—sorry for the interruption.

Bills: HF2436

Committee: House Children and Families Finance and Policy

Keywords: child welfare, economic assistance, child care, grant program, video security cameras

Transcript Highlights:

• I may ask on that one, can I interrupt? Sure, you may.
• I just want to interrupt for that moment. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, appreciate it.
• Also, I may ask on that one, can I interrupt? Sure, you may.
• I may ask on that one, can I interrupt? Sure, you may.
• I just want to interrupt for that moment. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, appreciate it.

Committee: Senate Energy and Natural Resources