Transcript Highlights:

• makes driving the only choice for most Minnesotans, causing more congestion in the metro, impacting energy
• makes driving the only choice for most Minnesotans, causing more congestion in the metro, impacting energy
• makes driving the only choice for most Minnesotans, causing more congestion in the metro, impacting energy
• makes driving the only choice for most Minnesotans, causing more congestion in the metro, impacting energy

Transcript Highlights:

• And I really want to thank everybody who put their time and energy into it.
• put<00:26:32.840><c> their</c><00:26:32.960><c> time</c><00:26:33.280><c> and</c><00:26:33.440><c> energy
• </c> put their time and energy into it. put their time and energy into it.

Summary: The committee met with a quorum to consider the Senate Committee Substitute for House Bill 2, a major Medicaid bill. Members first adopted the substitute and then adopted Amendment 9770. The bill was described as a lengthy rewrite aimed at aligning Kentucky Medicaid policy with federal requirements under HR 1, while also preserving program integrity and addressing due process concerns. Senators and staff repeatedly emphasized that the measure was the product of extensive meetings with providers, associations, and work groups. The sponsor’s section-by-section summary highlighted several key changes: delaying and reducing cost-sharing requirements; pushing eligibility redetermination deadlines to the federal date; restoring some flexibility for hardship waivers; allowing self-attestation as a last resort; modifying MCO audit provisions; clarifying non-emergency medical transport GPS costs; expanding waiver attestation authority to nurse practitioners and licensed psychologists; adding qualified aliens to waiver eligibility to comply with federal law; requiring Medicaid data sharing with the oversight board; limiting changes to Medicaid benefits without General Assembly authorization; narrowing the prescription drug exclusion to drugs prescribed primarily for weight loss; and delaying the dental ASO transition until 2029. The substitute also deleted a proposed auditor review requirement and retained an emergency clause. Committee discussion focused heavily on the policy and fiscal implications of the cost-sharing and recertification provisions. Senators raised concerns about whether the co-pays would be effective or simply shift costs to providers, whether the recertification process would burden the Cabinet and cause eligible people to lose coverage, and how the bill would affect people transitioning from Medicaid into work. Supporters said the lower cost-sharing amounts were intended to encourage appropriate use of care, protect providers, and comply with federal law, and they noted that the Medicaid Oversight and Advisory Board would help shape future changes. A public witness, Maggie Chisholm, gave emotional testimony about her daughter’s experience with a Medicaid waiver and argued that policy delays and administrative disconnects can harm vulnerable families. No final vote on the bill itself was recorded in the excerpt, but the substitute and amendment were adopted and testimony continued.

Transcript Highlights:

• S. 138, an act relating to commercial property assessed clean energy projects.
• The ayes have it, and we passed S. 138. property assessed clean energy projects. property assessed clean
• energy projects.
• S. 219, an act relating to an energy navigator program report. Question is: Shall the bill pass?

Transcript Highlights:

• Do you know that within the last year, the Department of Energy, ...our eyes or fingerprints?
• Do you know that within the last year, the Department of Energy, the Congressional Budget Office, and
• I might have misspoken that some of the audits that we've done in the past have been paid out of energy
• That some of the audits that we've done in the past have been paid on energy agency funds.

Summary: The committee approved the minutes from March 10, 2026, and then heard several House bills, mostly on appropriations, fees, water, food assistance, technology, and licensing. HB 2056, which would appropriate $100,000 for an Arizona Department of Water Resources feasibility study on brackish groundwater desalination, passed 6-3 despite concerns raised in opposition about increased groundwater pumping, subsidence, and impacts to tribal lands and conservation efforts. HB 2057, reducing the Arizona Centennial Special Plate renewal fee from $25 to $20, also passed 7-2 after one senator objected that the plate’s purpose and discount were not well justified. HB 2224, appropriating $1 million annually to DES for the produce incentive program, drew supportive testimony from food access groups who said the program helps families, farmers, and local markets; members noted the amount was below the prior $2 million funding level and could force site closures, but the bill passed 9-0. The committee also advanced HB 2257, which changes the distribution of watercraft registration and fee revenue, shifting more money to lake improvement and boating safety funds and less to the watercraft licensing fund. It passed 6-3 amid criticism that the bill moved money away from Game and Fish and concern that the boating safety fund increase could support immigration enforcement. HB 2265, which bars courts from charging criminal defendants for public defender services and certain other criminal-case fees and assessments, passed 7-1 after extensive testimony from advocates who argued the fees burden indigent defendants and cost more to collect than they raise; opponents called it a cost shift to counties and other local governments and said more fiscal data was needed. HB 2311, regulating publicly available conversational AI services with disclosure, anti-gamification, sexual-content restrictions, parental tools, and self-harm protocols, passed 7-2 after the sponsor and supporters framed it as child protection, while opponents warned about privacy, surveillance, and overbroad definitions; an Epstein amendment broadening the bill was rejected. The committee then considered HB 2752, which would subject Arizona Commerce Authority trade offices to legislative appropriation and require annual reporting. The ACA said it was neutral but supported the concept of data-driven decisions; the sponsor said the Legislature should approve trade offices and that the bill reflected his prior trade-office initiatives. An Epstein amendment requiring objective research for trade-office appropriations was rejected, and the bill passed 6-3. Finally, the committee heard HB 2957, which would preserve non-Real ID driver’s licenses, prohibit mandatory participation in enhanced ID programs, restrict biometric collection and document retention, and bar government entities from requiring digital or mobile IDs. The sponsor and several supporters argued it protects privacy, state sovereignty, and informed consent, while opponents from ADOT and the trucking industry warned it could conflict with federal Real ID and CDL requirements and jeopardize federal compliance and funding. The discussion was still ongoing at the end of the transcript, with witnesses and members debating whether the bill would change current practice or create federal conflicts.

Transcript Highlights:

• 15:59.760><c> relating</c><00:16:00.160><c> to</c><00:16:00.280><c> renewable</c><00:16:00.880><c> energy
• </c><00:16:01.480><c> Is</c> Draft 2 relating to renewable energy.
• Is Draft 2 relating to renewable energy.
• Committee Report No. 2930, third reading of Senate Bill 2497, Senate Draft 2, relating to electric energy

Transcript Highlights:

• At MADA, the transition to e-title has been an area of staff time and energy.
• e-title has been an area of staff time e-title has been an area of staff time and<00:10:29.920><c> energy
• <c> spend</c><00:10:31.320><c> time</c><00:10:31.560><c> at</c><00:10:31.680><c> national</c> and energy
• We spend time at national and energy.

Transcript Highlights:

• shows that they have a hiring freeze and certain position closures, while number seven addresses energy
• While number seven addresses energy efficiency measures in building optimization, for each of those risk
• We focused on an investment-grade audit that is using bond funding to look at energy efficiency optimization
• So far, we've collected about $1.3 million in rebates on energy efficiencies across the district through

Committee: Joint Joint Legislative Audit Committee

Summary: The committee first heard a follow-up on the Arizona State Board of Chiropractic Examiners special audit. The Auditor General’s contractor reported that the board has made progress on most of the 28 recommendations from the 2024 audit, with 25 in process and three not yet implemented. Remaining concerns included complaint investigations not being resolved within 180 days, continued open meeting law compliance problems, and failure to consult the Attorney General’s open meeting law experts. The follow-up also identified new issues with posting disciplinary/non-disciplinary actions and maintaining a complete public records request log. Board staff said they had adopted new complaint timelines, subpoena limits, conflict-of-interest procedures, public meeting guidance, training, and a new licensing platform, and they described efforts to professionalize investigations and improve transparency. Members pressed the board on open meeting violations, complaint backlogs, lobbying activity, and the resignation of the board chair, while the executive director said the audit findings were being treated as a roadmap for reform. The committee then received the January 2026 Arizona school district financial risk analysis. The Auditor General’s office said the number of highest-risk districts rose from two to nine, and districts approaching highest risk increased from seven to nine. The report highlighted common risk factors such as declining student counts, budget reserve problems, use of capital funds for operations, and weakening general fund positions. Tucson Unified was used as an example of a highest-risk district, with declining enrollment, reserve declines, and capital funds redirected to operations; Scottsdale Unified was cited as approaching highest risk. The office explained its web-based dashboard, district action plans, and ongoing outreach to affected districts. Sierra Vista Unified School District superintendent Terry Romo then presented the district’s response to its financial risk designation. She said she inherited the problems, quickly developed an action plan, and is working to stabilize enrollment, reduce staffing through attrition, close an elementary school, freeze nonessential spending, tighten purchase controls, and renegotiate or cancel high-cost contracts. She also said the district is redirecting DAA funds, considering sale or lease of property, and improving communication with families through letters, videos, and enrollment outreach. Committee members questioned the district about declining enrollment, school safety, academic performance, and the pace of corrective action, while Romo emphasized that the district is trying to protect both students and finances and avoid returning to the high-risk list.

Transcript Highlights:

• We've also seen increases in energy costs, construction costs, cost to maintain important technology
• We've also seen increases<00:38:08.800><c> in</c><00:38:09.040><c> energy</c><00:38:09.359><c> costs,
• </c><00:38:09.760><c> construction</c> increases in energy costs, construction increases in energy costs

Summary: The House Budget Review Subcommittee on Primary and Secondary Education and Workforce Development met for an information-gathering session and opened by clarifying that the subcommittee would not be voting on budget requests. Because there was no quorum at first, the committee did not take up approval amendments. The first presentation focused on a budget request to incentivize national certification for school social workers and school psychologists. Rep. Vanessa Gracal, along with Amy Oats and Leslie Gilpin, argued for a $500,000 annual appropriation to provide $2,000 salary supplements to nationally certified school social workers and school psychologists working primarily in their certification areas. They said the stipend would help recruit and retain professionals amid shortages, noted that current Kentucky certification numbers are low, and explained the rigorous certification and renewal requirements. In response to questions, they said there is currently no appropriation for this purpose in HB 500 and none they were aware of in HB 6 in 2024. The next topic was school facility funding needs, led by Rep. Bob McCool, Johnson County Superintendent Tom Cochran, Commissioner of Education Robert Fletcher, and other district representatives. They described the “gap funding” issue for school construction projects that had already started before COVID-era inflation sharply increased costs. Johnson County and Harrison County were highlighted as examples of districts that had already committed local funds, passed nickel taxes, and begun construction but now need additional state support to finish projects. Speakers emphasized that many projects were audited and approved, that the state has already funded about half of the gap, and that roughly $130 million more is being sought in HB 500 to complete the remaining work. They stressed that unfinished projects would leave districts with half-built schools and that completing them would bring long-term savings and better facilities for students. The committee then turned to testimony from KASA representatives on the impacts of HB 500 as introduced. The witnesses discussed the importance of school psychology and school social work certification, the benefits of advanced training for student services, and the need to recognize and support highly qualified staff. A member asked whether HB 500 or HB 6 included an appropriation for the certification stipend, and the witnesses answered no. The meeting also included a motion to approve the minutes from the prior meeting once a quorum was present, and the minutes were approved by voice vote.

Transcript Highlights:

• I paid $44,000 in energy bills in July for Sulfur Sallasol that just came.
• Online, 220,000 square feet, paid $21,000 in energy bills.
• It's a lead facility, so Sulfur's one of those places we're trying to get some energy on.
• It's a great facility, well run, just suffering through some energy costs, as I said, we've.

Committee: House A&B Health Subcommittee

Transcript Highlights:

• The Joint Natural Resources Committee of Reference and House Natural Resources, Energy and Water Committee
• I moved that the Senate Natural Resources Committee of Reference and the House Natural Resources, Energy
• I moved that the Senate Natural Resources Committee of Reference and the House Natural Resources, Energy
• the body of the Senate Natural Resources Committee of Reference and the House Natural Resources, Energy

Summary: The Joint Natural Resources and House Natural Resources, Energy and Water Committees of Reference heard the Arizona Auditor General’s sunset review of the Arizona State Veterinary Medical Examining Board. The audit found the board generally met some licensing requirements, but it did not timely investigate and resolve 49 of 159 complaints in fiscal year 2024, and it did not fully comply with conflict-of-interest disclosure and filing requirements. The Auditor General also identified weaknesses in continuing-education verification and other sunset-factor areas, and the board agreed to implement all 21 recommendations. Board staff said complaint volume has risen sharply since the pandemic, that the board’s process is slower because every case goes through an investigative committee and then the full board, and that it has already corrected some conflict-of-interest issues and is adding tools to improve continuing-education audits. The committee then heard testimony from the board’s executive director and from the Arizona Veterinary Medical Association. The executive director emphasized the board’s public-protection mission, described the shortage of veterinarians and veterinary technicians, and said the board is working to improve efficiency through a new e-licensing system and staff training. Members asked about the shortage of large-animal veterinarians, complaint backlogs, and whether the board could do more to recruit rural practitioners; the board said it lacks direct recruiting authority but supports multiple licensure pathways and loan-assistance efforts. The veterinary association supported the board’s oversight and said it is also working on rural and large-animal workforce issues through partnerships and advocacy. The committee then voted to recommend continuing the board for eight years, until July 1, 2034. The committee next took up the Arizona State Land Department, beginning with the Auditor General’s presentation on the department’s sunset review and prior special audit. The audit found the department had not updated its required five-year disposition plan since 2011, had sold more than 48,000 acres without an active plan, had allowed agricultural rental rates to go unchanged since 2006 despite market increases, and had not consistently inspected mineral-related leases or properly managed reclamation bonds. The Auditor General said these issues created risks of lost revenue, reduced transparency, and public-safety hazards, and recommended 18 corrective actions in the main review plus 34 additional recommendations on other issues; the department agreed to most recommendations but declined to adopt a written policy for commissioner-initiated land sales. Commissioner Robin Sahid said the department is working through audit recommendations, has created a rules team, improved its customer portal, and is pursuing new policies on water use, transportation-basin leases, and disposition planning. Members questioned the department about agricultural leases, groundwater valuation, the Fondomonte leases and reimbursement for improvements, the canceled Coyotes land auction, backlog and processing times, and the use of consultants and administrative funds. The commissioner said the department had over 2,000 applications in queue when she arrived, that it has made progress reducing the backlog, and that it is conducting stakeholder outreach on water-efficiency standards and lease addenda. No final vote on the land department continuation was taken in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• They have earned my whole world to be kind to you because we feed each other's energy.
• be kind to you because we feed each be kind to you because we feed each other's<00:04:04.959><c> energy
• ><c> So</c><00:04:06.560><c> rather</c><00:04:06.879><c> than</c><00:04:07.200><c> be</c> other's energy
• So rather than be other's energy.

Transcript Highlights:

• This is $20 million to provide competitive grants to enhance energy-efficient technology and renewable
• energy.
• And just to reiterate, that line 134 is tied to the Energy Transition Act.
• Chair, Representative, I think you're referring to line 85, that $5 million for the community energy

Summary: The Department of Public Safety presented its FY27 budget request, emphasizing three priorities: improving community engagement through a redesigned website and outreach, expanding statewide data and intelligence integration through intelligence-led policing, and improving emergency response and officer safety through fleet replacement, a driving track, and a requested helicopter. DPS said much of its increase is driven by rising health care premiums, and it is also seeking special appropriations for fleet replacement, the website rebuild, and an Honor Guard program created after the 2022 helicopter crash that killed four public servants. Members asked about vacancies, fleet costs, cybersecurity compliance, the real-time crime center, EV fleet participation, and the Metro DPS facility. DPS said its vacancy rate is about 9%, its fleet replacement needs are driven by mileage and condition, it is compliant with federal CJIS standards even though DoIT has raised concerns, the real-time crime center would be built as a regional model to complement Albuquerque’s center, and the Metro facility is moving toward a January groundbreaking. Committee members also discussed several DPS-related capital and IT requests, including the intelligence-led policing data lake, recurring maintenance for critical systems, and a $5.6 million reauthorization for state crime lab DNA backlog work and a $900,000 reauthorization for fingerprinting equipment. DPS explained that the website request is high because the current site must be rebuilt from scratch to support missing-person alerts, memorial updates, ADA compliance, and better communication with law enforcement and the public. Members also raised concerns about speed enforcement, construction-zone cameras, and whether EVs are practical for patrol use; DPS said it is not pursuing speed cameras and is only partially participating in the state EV initiative because patrol needs make full electrification difficult. The committee then received an LFC quarterly update on non-recurring appropriations from the 2025 General Appropriation Act. LFC reported that of the $1.4 billion appropriated in Section 5, $164 million had been expended and $333 million encumbered, leaving $897.4 million unspent, which is a slower pace than the prior year. Staff highlighted a number of reauthorization requests and slow-moving projects across agencies, including AOC cybersecurity funding, DFA housing and public safety grants, DoIT cybersecurity and higher education funds, EDD economic development and energy programs, OSI mitigation and malpractice funds, EMNRD energy and geothermal grants, Health Care Authority behavioral health-related appropriations, DPS crime lab and fingerprinting funds, PED career technical education and special education initiatives, and higher education loan repayment and technology funds. Members questioned why some large appropriations had little or no spending, discussed the need to monitor reauthorizations more closely, and asked for follow-up on several specific line items and project balances.

Transcript Highlights:

• I think a lot of things that are critical with Bowman is the activity, the energy it brings, the training
• 00:12:43.680><c> the</c><00:12:43.920><c> activity,</c><00:12:44.720><c> the</c><00:12:44.959><c> energy
• </c><00:12:45.279><c> it</c> Bowman is the activity, the energy it Bowman is the activity, the energy

Summary: The committee heard an update from Kentucky’s three major commercial airports: Lexington Blue Grass Airport, Louisville Regional Airport Authority (SDF and Bowman Field), and CVG. Lexington’s Eric Franco described post-COVID growth that has already exceeded pre-pandemic activity, along with a master plan focused on the whole airport, expanded surface parking, relocation of the air traffic control tower, and a major terminal project estimated at $500 million to $700 million. He emphasized the airport’s role in serving both passenger and corporate aviation across central Kentucky and thanked the legislature for prior funding, including $5 million for parking. Louisville’s Dan Mann reported record passenger growth, expanded nonstop service, and especially strong cargo activity driven by UPS, noting SDF is now among the busiest cargo airports in North America and Bowman Field remains the state’s busiest general aviation airport. He highlighted major infrastructure needs, including airfield and terminal work, parking expansion, and a planned federal inspection service facility to support international flights around events like the Kentucky Derby.

Transcript Highlights:

• for treatment and incentivizing it rather than becoming smart and spend more time and effort and energy
• And between energy and agriculture, that drive our state's economy, they drive our state's surplus.
• Well, it's directed energy research. So, how is that applied with our graduates?
• D.A., Department of Energy, when they put those RFPs out there to look to potentially award major research

Committee: House Higher Education

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, 80% goes into energy is federal dollars.
• /c><00:07:46.599><c> 80%</c><00:07:47.319><c> goes</c><00:07:47.560><c> into</c><00:07:47.800><c> energy
• </c><00:07:48.319><c> is</c><00:07:48.520><c> federal</c> funds um 80% goes into energy is federal funds
• um 80% goes into energy is federal dollars<00:07:49.960><c> we</c><00:07:50.199><c> have</c><00:07:50.599

Bills: HF4 , HF173

Committee: House Taxes

Transcript Highlights:

• So these homes are performing the same as site-built homes as far as durability, speaks to energy standards
• So these homes are performing the same as site-built homes as far as durability, speaks to energy standards
• The remaining are ENERGY STAR certified, and so they're very, very energy efficient as well.

Summary: The House Standing Committee on Local Government met for its first meeting of the year, established a quorum, and heard two bills. House Bill 211, sponsored by Representative Chris Lewis, would create a definition for cigar bars and allow indoor cigar smoking in qualifying establishments if they meet criteria such as deriving at least 15% of gross income from cigar-related sales, restricting entry to those 21 and older, prohibiting cigarettes and vaping, and requiring a smoke-free area for deliveries. Lewis and Louisville Metro Council member Anthony Pantini described the bill as a small-business and tourism measure modeled on Tennessee law, while the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network and a St. Elizabeth physician opposed it, arguing it would undermine local smoke-free ordinances and expose patrons and workers to harmful secondhand smoke. Several members raised local-control concerns, and Lewis said he was open to local governments making decisions on less restrictive approaches. The committee adopted a committee substitute and then approved HB 211 on a roll call vote, with multiple members voting yes and several no votes, sending the bill forward as amended. The committee then heard House Bill 160 from Representative Susan Whitten, with Logan Haynes of the Kentucky Manufactured Housing Institute. They said Kentucky faces a housing shortage of roughly 200,000 units and that starter homes are increasingly unaffordable, making manufactured housing an important part of the solution. Whitten said the bill would treat manufactured housing more like site-built housing while still allowing local governments to enforce cosmetic standards such as roof pitch, exterior facade, and foundation material, and she emphasized that HOA, deed, and historical preservation restrictions would remain in place. Haynes argued that modern manufactured homes are federally and state inspected, more energy efficient, faster to build, and more affordable than site-built homes, and he said the bill would not open the door to older-style mobile homes or single-wides except in limited narrow-lot situations. Representatives from the Kentucky League of Cities and the Kentucky Association of Counties expressed concerns about the bill’s current language, saying land-use decisions should remain local and warning that the definition of qualified manufactured home and the bill’s treatment of local standards could have unintended consequences. They said they appreciated Whitten’s willingness to work with them and indicated they hoped to continue negotiating amendments as the bill moved forward. No vote on HB 160 was taken during the portion of the meeting provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• It is referred to the Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities, and Energy.

Summary: The Senate first took up committee reports on two bills. One was a petition by Senator Joanne M. Comerford concerning utility shut-off protections during periods of extreme heat; the rules were suspended, the matter was considered forthwith, and the bill was ordered to a third reading. The second was Senate No. 2508, a Judiciary Committee bill to establish a sick leave bank for Andrew Satera, a trial court employee; that bill also had its rules suspended and was ordered to a third reading. Later, the Senate considered an order related to the general appropriation bill. The order set a deadline of 2 p.m. on Friday, May 9, 2025, for filing amendments electronically with the clerk and placed the Ways and Means version of the general appropriation bill on the calendar for Tuesday, May 20, 2025, for second reading as the only item on the calendar. The Senate suspended the rules, adopted the order, and then adopted a second order scheduling the chamber to reconvene on Thursday at 11 a.m. in a formal session with a calendar. The Senate then adjourned to meet again on Thursday next at 11 o'clock a.m.

Transcript Highlights:

• our supply chain of critical minerals and rare earth minerals more so than it is and related to our energy

Bills: HB3840 , HB3431

Committee: House State Powers

Keywords: foreign ownership, land acquisition, military installation, critical infrastructure, affidavit requirements, state law, penalties, Attorney General, foreign ownership of land, foreign adversary, foreign government adversary, foreign government enterprise, foreign government entity, foreign terrorist organization, specially designated national, SDN, FTO, critical minerals, land ownership, real property

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:14:24.959><c> So,</c><00:14:25.120><c> we</c> Department of Energy and so on.
• So, we Department of Energy and so on.
• For over a decade, I've worked in energy production, burning coal at WISOD.
• We can produce energy and support jobs that protect the land.
• We can produce energy and support jobs that protect the land.

Bills: SF0025 , SF0027 , SF0043 , SF0066

Committee: Senate Travel, Recreation, Wildlife & Cultural Resources

Transcript Highlights:

• so there's a big opportunity<00:48:34.760><c> to</c><00:48:34.880><c> share</c><00:48:35.240><c> energy
• ><00:48:35.920><c> as</c><00:48:36.079><c> well</c><00:48:37.000><c> and</c> opportunity to share energy
• as well and opportunity to share energy as well and our<00:48:37.400><c> current</c><00:48:37.839><c
• We're right next to the sugar beet plant, and of course we are going to have renewable energies as part
• We're right next to the sugar beet plant, and of course we are going to have renewable energies as part

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